Photo: Ed Schipul, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Redfin hap
Copadichromis borleyi
20 cm
Adult size
400 L
Minimum volume
4
Minimum group
12 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Copadichromis
- Diet
- carnivore and planktivore
- Social life
- harem
In the wild
Overview
Together with the genus Mchenga, the Copadichromis make up the “Utaka” group, open-water cichlids specialised in zooplankton and very numerous in Lake Malawi. Males of C. borleyi are among the most colourful.
- Scientific name
- Copadichromis borleyi (Iles, 1960)
- Classification
- Cichliformes › Cichlidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Endemic to Lake Malawi (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives near rocky areas and large isolated boulders, between 5 and 20 m deep, and forms large shoals in open water, often with other species.
Behaviour
Fairly peaceful, it does not tolerate boisterous companions and never mbuna. It lives with most Aulonocara and calm Haplochromis, but not with fish of the same colour or other Copadichromis (hybridisation). A zooplankton eater, it accepts small live, frozen and dry foods, with a little plant matter.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth