Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania"

Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania" "Makonde"

Makonde — mah-KOHN-deh (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. "Phenochilus Tanzania" account →

Specific to Makonde

  • 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. "Phenochilus Tanzania".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size7 in18 cm total length
Temperature73–81 °F23–27 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth66–164 ft20–50 m
DietPresumed benthic invertivore, probing sand and rubble for buried prey using thick, sensitive lips; genus-typical, following the pattern of the close relative P. phenochilus.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; moderate-to-large given the group's larger adult size
Sexual dimorphismYesMales develop thick, showy lips and blue breeding colour; females duller, silvery, and lack the pronounced lip development.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Makonde population

Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania" "Makonde" is the Makonde population of Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania", 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. "Phenochilus Tanzania", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Makonde fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania" is an undescribed deep-water cichlid from the northern Tanzanian shore of Lake Malawi, recorded at Lupingu, Makonde, and Ngwasi. It is one of several regional trade forms allied to Placidochromis phenochilus, a described species named for its thick, fleshy lips and known in the hobby as a striking blue, deep-sand-zone hap. Ad Konings features this Tanzanian population with a photograph in his book Enjoying Cichlids, underlining its status as a recognised, if still unnamed, form.

Full Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania" "Makonde"
  2. malawi.si — Placidochromis (Konings-based species database; Malawi genus overview)
  3. Konings, A. — Enjoying Cichlids (Cichlid Press; features a photograph of Placidochromis sp. "phenochilus tanzania")
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi field authority; Placidochromis phenochilus)
  5. Cichlid Room Companion — Placidochromis (genus profile)