Pseudotropheus fuscus "Chirwa Island"

Chirwa IslandCHEE-rwah EYE-land (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 Pseudotropheus fuscus account →

Specific to Chirwa Island

  • 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 Pseudotropheus fuscus.

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size4 in10 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)slightly hardup to 214 ppm
Depth3–49 ft1–15 m
DietGrazes algal turf (aufwuchs) from rock surfaces
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooderNot documented for this species; likely a few dozen eggs by comparison with similarly sized Pseudotropheus
Sexual dimorphismYesDominant males in breeding condition likely intensify in colour relative to females; specific pattern not confidently documented here, though the species name implies a comparatively dusky ground colour.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Chirwa Island population

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

Colour reference: living Chirwa Island fish at malawi.si

About the species

Pseudotropheus fuscus is a rock-dwelling mbuna from the northern shore of Lake Malawi, its Latin name — "dusky" or "dark brown" — describing a comparatively subdued coloration that sets it apart from the vivid blues and yellows of many showier mbuna sharing its rocky habitat. It belongs to Pseudotropheus proper, one of several genera carved from the historic catch-all group of small, barred Lake Malawi rock cichlids.

Full Pseudotropheus fuscus account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Pseudotropheus fuscus "Chirwa Island"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — species search (California Academy of Sciences)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)