Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cyprichromis
Cyprichromis leptosoma
12.5 cm
Adult size
300 L
Minimum volume
10
Minimum group
8 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Cyprichromis
- Diet
- carnivore and planktivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
One of hobbyists' favourite Tanganyikan cichlids. It comes in several geographic forms, each with a blue or yellow tail; the “Jumbo” form is larger. In the wild it forms shoals of several thousand fish.
- Scientific name
- Cyprichromis leptosoma (Boulenger, 1898)
- Classification
- Cichliformes › Cichlidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Endemic to Lake Tanganyika
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
An open-water fish, it lives off rocky slopes, in intermediate zones with scattered rocks and a sandy bottom, where it feeds on zooplankton. It often hovers motionless, head down.
Behaviour
Very peaceful, it does not tolerate mbuna. It lives with Tanganyikans that use other zones of the tank: Julidochromis, Altolamprologus, shell-dwelling species. Keep it in a shoal of at least eight. It has a small mouth: small live and frozen prey. Females brood the eggs in their mouths.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth