Electric Blue Cichlid

Common Names: Electric Blue, Electric Blue Ahli, Blue Hap
Scientific Name: Sciaenochromis ahli
Maximum Size: 8 inches
Minimum Tank Size: 70 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 – 80°F
pH Range: 7.8 – 8.5
Temperament: Aggressive and territorial
Origin: Lake Malawi

Electric Blue African Cichlid

Aquarium Setup:
The Electric Blue needs plenty of room in which to swim and prefer to be in open water. It is OK to have a few rocks for decoration, just remember that they like a lot of space. Once the Electric Blue gets to be about three inches long it will begin digging up any plants you may have as well as overturning rocks or ornaments.

The best setup for an Electric Blue Cichlid is one or two medium to large rocks on a substrate of medium sized rocks, gravel should not be used.

Tank Mates/Community:
Other Lake Malawi cichlids.

Diet:
The Electric Blue African Cichlid’s natural diet consists primarily of fry. In an aquarium, it should be fed both meat based and vegetable based foods. Recommended foods are brine shrimp, bloodworms, chopped Electric Blue African Cichlidfrozen shrimp and Cichlid pellets or flakes.

Behavior:
Males will be aggressive to one another, so it is recommended that you only one male in the aquarium. The best combination is one male and three females. If you decide to keep two males in one tank it should be at least 90 gallons and provide hiding places for the subdominant male.

Color:
When a juvenile the Electric Blue is completely gray. As it matures the male will transform into the bright “electric” blue, females will remain gray.

Breeding:
The Electric Blue African Cichlid is a mouth brooder. The eggs are fertilized and then carried in the mouth of the female. Between 12 and 18 days the fry, about 1/4 inch long, will be released by the mother. Note: You should move the brooding female to a separate tank before the fry are ready to be released.

Breeding the Electric Blue is relatively easy with the correct setup and water conditions. For the best results you should have one male and seven females in a 90 gallon aquarium.



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Sciaenochromis ahli

Sciaenochromis ahli “Electric Blue” – Juvenile

Electric Blues, sometimes called “Haplochromis Big Eye” in the past, hail from the Northern end of Lake Malawi. Dominate male Sciaenochromis ahli develop fantastic blue body color with accents of yellow on the tail and anal fin and a broad white edge in the dorsal. Females remain silver. Juveniles like those offered here are also silver. The photo above is an adult male. Sciaenochromis tend to be active and quite aggressive, so keep this hap with other cichlids of similar temperament and size that can hold their own. They will be more aggressive with males of same species, try to keep only one male per tank.These fish need plenty of territory and should not be housed in tanks smaller than 75 gallons. Tank decor should include plenty of rocks for hiding. Feed Sciaenochromis a variety of foods including flake, pellet, and meaty frozen items. They are predatory and will eat small fish and fry if the opportunity is presented. Like most Malawian cichlids, they are mouth brooders, meaning the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth for protection.

Sciaenochromis ahli

Sciaenochromis ahli “Electric Blue” – Large

Electric Blues, sometimes called “Haplochromis Big Eye” in the past, hail from the Northern end of Lake Malawi. Dominant male Sciaenochromis ahli develop fantastic blue body color with accents of yellow on the tail and anal fin and a broad white edge in the dorsal. Females remain silver.Sciaenochromis tend to be active and quite aggressive, so keep this hap with other cichlids of similar temperament and size that can hold their own. They will be more aggressive with males of same species, try to keep only one male per tank.These fish need plenty of territory and should not be housed in tanks smaller than 75 gallons. Tank decor should include plenty of rocks for hiding.Feed Sciaenochromis a variety of foods including flake, pellet, and meaty frozen items. They are predatory and will eat small fish and fry if the opportunity is presented. Like most Malawian cichlids, they are mouth brooders, meaning the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth for protection.

Filed under: Lake Malawi

Comments

2 Responses to “Electric Blue Cichlid”
  1. sti says:
    October 14, 2011 at 5:57 pm

    I have a large bumble bee cichlid in a 55gal tank. He has kill all but one other fish in my tank. I changed the take around 2 times a month. have lots of rocks. Is there any other fish I can put in this tank that he will not bully or kill? please help ( local pet store said trade him in start over again)

  2. andrew says:
    November 10, 2011 at 8:52 pm

    get rid of him and start again, look up pseudotropheus salousi, they are a personal favourite of mine, not as cranky as the bumble bee either.

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