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

Protomelas sp. "Steveni Imperial" "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. "Steveni Imperial" 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. "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 Hai Reef population

Protomelas sp. "Steveni Imperial" "Hai Reef" is the Hai Reef population of Protomelas sp. "Steveni Imperial", 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. "Steveni Imperial", 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. "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" "Hai Reef"
  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)