Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter"

Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter" "Tsano Rock"

Tsano Rock — TSAH-noh ROK (approx.)

The fish

How this cichlid is built, and everything about how it lives, eats and breeds, is shared with the species — this page doesn't repeat it.

Read the full Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter" account →

Specific to Tsano Rock

  • Collection locality & coordinates
  • Local coloration — best judged from the living-fish photo
  • Kept as a single-provenance line, never crossed with other collection points

Care facts below are the species' — shared with Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5.5 in14 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth16–82 ft5–25 m
DietPresumed sand-rock interface invertivore, picking benthic prey from sand and rock; genus-typical, following the pattern of the close relative P. electra.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; moderate, genus-typical
Sexual dimorphismYesTrade name implies males show blue breeding colour; females duller and silvery, far less conspicuously marked.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Tsano Rock population

Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter" "Tsano Rock" is the Tsano Rock population of Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter", a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Tsano Rock fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter" is an undescribed cichlid from the far south of Lake Malawi, recorded around Domwe Island, Mitande Reef, and Tsano Rock — a stretch of coast within and around the Nankumba Peninsula that includes Otter Point, one of the best-known dive sites in Lake Malawi National Park. Its trade name reflects both a blue breeding colour and that locality connection. Placidochromis is a genus whose most famous member, P. electra, the "Electric Blue Hap," is one of the most recognisable cichlids in the entire aquarium hobby, and several of its relatives share a similarly striking, largely unpatterned blue nuptial dress.

Full Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Placidochromis sp. "Blue Otter" "Tsano Rock"
  2. malawi.si — Placidochromis (Konings-based species database; Malawi genus overview)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi field authority; Placidochromis electra)
  4. Cichlid Room Companion — Placidochromis (genus profile)