Sciaenochromis
| Sciaenochromis | |
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| Sciaenochromis fryeri | |
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| Genus: | Sciaenochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989
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Sciaenochromis is a genus of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Malawi in east Africa. It includes at least 4 species. The species are popular in the aquarium hobby most notably S. fryeri, known in the aquarium trade as the electric blue. All Sciaenochromis are piscivores (fish-eaters) and prey mainly upon the fry of mbuna and other Haplochromine cichlids.
Species
- Sciaenochromis ahli (Trewavas, 1935).
- Sciaenochromis benthicola Konings, 1993.
- Sciaenochromis fryeri Konings, 1993.
- Sciaenochromis psammophilus Konings, 1993.
In the aquarium
Like all cichlids from Lake Malawi these cichlids are best maintained in hard, alkaline water. Sciaenochromis are best kept in aquariums with volumes greater than 210 l (55 gallon). Only males possess their impressive, electric-blue coloration, while females are dull grey, and generally similar to the females of other Sciaenochromis and Aulonocara species. This is an aggressive fish, and the minimum tank size of 210 litres is only acceptable with a trio of 1 male and 2 females. If you are planning on keeping more males, it is highly recommended to have a larger tank, 350 lt/100 gal being the minimum. Males can also display aggression towards similarly-coloured fish of other species, for example Aulonocara or Placidochromis.
References
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Sciaenochromis". FishBase. May 2006 version.