Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Protomelas sp. "Steveni Imperial"

Protomelas sp. "Steveni Imperial" "Chiloelo"

Chiloelo — chee-loh-EH-loh (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. "Steveni Imperial" account →

Specific to Chiloelo

  • 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. "Steveni Imperial".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size8 in20 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth26–82 ft8–25 m
DietOmnivorous forager, taking invertebrates and other edible items from sand and rock surfaces
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; a clutch of several dozen eggs is plausible given the fish's larger-than-average size
Sexual dimorphismYesDominant males deep blue with a broad orange-red cape across the back and dorsal fin; females and subordinate males plain silvery-grey to brown.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Chiloelo population

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

Colour reference: living Chiloelo fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Protomelas sp. "Steveni Imperial" is an undescribed Lake Malawi haplochromine, one of the largest and most sought-after trade forms in its genus. It is recognised across an unusually wide stretch of the lake — recorded from dozens of localities spanning Malawi's western and eastern shores, the islands of Likoma and Chizumulu, and the Mozambican and Tanzanian coasts — and is known to hobbyists chiefly for the combination of a big body and a dramatic breeding dress: electric blue overlaid with a broad orange cape across the back. It has never been given a formal scientific name, so no authority, publication year, FishBase number, or IUCN assessment should be attached to it.

Full Protomelas sp. "Steveni Imperial" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Protomelas sp. "Steveni Imperial" "Chiloelo"
  2. malawi.si — Konings-based Lake Malawi cichlid species and locality database
  3. Cichlid Room Companion — Malawi cichlid genus and undescribed-form references (Ad Konings, curator)
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)