Pseudotropheus interruptus "Chiwi Rocks"

Chiwi RocksCHEE-wee ROKS (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 interruptus account →

Specific to Chiwi Rocks

  • 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 interruptus.

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 dimorphismYesLikely carries an interrupted/broken lateral stripe per its name; dominant males probably more intensely coloured than females. Full pattern not confidently documented here.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Chiwi Rocks population

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

Colour reference: living Chiwi Rocks fish at malawi.si

About the species

Pseudotropheus interruptus is a rock-dwelling mbuna documented from the central-lake reefs of Lake Malawi, including Chizumulu Island and neighbouring rock outcrops. Its Latin name, "interrupted," is a naming convention widely used among Malawi mbuna to describe a horizontal stripe or lateral marking that appears broken rather than continuous — a small but useful field mark distinguishing it from congeners with an unbroken stripe.

Full Pseudotropheus interruptus account →

Sources

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