VC-10 – Placidochromis milomo – Adult

The VC-10 is a large, fairly aggressive cichlid from Lake Malawi. Juveniles and females have alternating irregular dark brown and beige bars and a yellowish underside. Mature males lose most of this pattern and gain a multicolored iridescent color which can become especially vibrant red, blue and green. They also have very thick lips that they use to help create a suction against rock crevices to draw out small prey like small fish and invertebrates.

Malawian and Victorian cichlids are similar in care and temperament, leading to fish from these two lakes being grouped together in the hobby. Several hundreds species of cichlid are found in Lake Malawi, along with many regional variations, but Lake Victoria has far fewer due to the introduction of invasive predators. Most cichlids in both lakes are rock-dwellers. They seldom stray far from the rocky bottoms and sides of the lake and will quickly dart into the rocks to hide. As with all cichlids, they are very territorial and will not tolerate other cichlids around \