Placidochromis sp. "Electra Blackfin" "Magunga"

Magungamah-GOON-gah (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. "Electra Blackfin" account →

Specific to Magunga

  • 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. "Electra Blackfin".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size6 in15 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth33–115 ft10–35 m
DietBenthic invertivore over sand and intermediate rock-sand habitat, in the general manner documented for the Electra complex and the wider genus.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; expected modest (several dozen eggs)
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males show the Electra complex's uniform deep-blue body with dark, near-black fins, the character that gives this population its name; females and non-breeding males are plainer and silvery.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Magunga population

Placidochromis sp. "Electra Blackfin" "Magunga" is the Magunga population of Placidochromis sp. "Electra Blackfin", a geographic colour form from the Tanzania coast of Lake Malawi in the far northern part of the lake. It is the same species as Placidochromis sp. "Electra Blackfin", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Magunga fish at malawi.si

About the species

Placidochromis sp. "Electra Blackfin" is an undescribed Lake Malawi cichlid recorded from Magunga and Makonde on the Tanzanian shore in the lake's north. It belongs to the "Electra" complex — a solid, deep-blue Placidochromis that has circulated in the aquarium and field literature under this trade name for decades without ever receiving a formal description, among the most recognisable undescribed cichlids in the Lake Malawi hobby. This population is distinguished by dark fin colouration in breeding males, hence "Blackfin." No authority, year, FishBase number, or IUCN status should ever be attached to it.

Full Placidochromis sp. "Electra Blackfin" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Placidochromis sp. "Electra Blackfin" "Magunga"
  2. Camenius, L. (1996) — "Placidochromis electra, an interesting observation", Cichlid Room Companion
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi authority)