Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Mozambique"

Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Mozambique" "Hai Reef"

Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Mozambique" (Hai Reef)

Hai Reef — HAH-ee REEF (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 Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Mozambique" account →

Specific to Hai Reef

  • 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 Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Mozambique".

CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesProtomelas kirkiidescribed as Chromis kirkii Günther 1894
Scientific size6.5 in17 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)up to 446 ppm
Habitat watermoderately soft, alkaline, well-buffered79 ppmLake Malawi
Depth13–33 ft4–10 m
DietAufwuchs grazer with a leaning toward invertebrates, following the spilonotus-group Protomelas pattern (not directly documented for this population)
Breedingmaternal mouthbrooder (inferred from genus/flock)not documented for this form; Protomelas clutches generally run from several dozen to over a hundred eggs depending on body size
Sexual dimorphismYesPresumed male/female colour difference typical of the genus; not documented in detail for this specific population.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Hai Reef population

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

Colour reference: living Hai Reef fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Mozambique" is an undescribed haplochromine recorded from Hai Reef in Lake Malawi, one of several field populations grouped under the "spilonotus" trade tag for their resemblance to the described Protomelas spilonotus without being confidently identified as that species. It circulates informally as a "Protomelas sp." form in the aquarium and field literature, and it has never been given a scientific name; no authority, IUCN status, or FishBase entry should be attached to it.

Full Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Mozambique" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Mozambique" "Hai Reef"
  2. Cichlid Room Companion — genus Protomelas
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)
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