Electric Blue Cichlid (Sciaenochromis fryeri)

Common Name:

Electric Blue Cichlid.

Other Name:

Electric Blue "Hap".

Scientific Name:

Sciaenochromis fryeri.

Family:

Cichlidae.

Class:

African.

Distribution:

Lake Malawi, especially Taiwan Reef, Chinyankwazi and Chinyamwezi Islands.

Size:

Approx 6inches - 8inches.

Diet:

In the wild, these are piscivores, but they'll eat a lot of commercially prepared meaty foods, supplemented by live foods and meaty foods as well. Live feeder guppies are recommended as supplements by Mark Phillip Smith.

Water Temperature:

75-79 degrees Fahrenheit (24-26 degrees Celsius).

Water Chemistry:

Hard water, dH of 10-11, pH: 7.5-9.0.

Lifespan:

10+ years.

Description:

The Electric Blue is a metallic Columbia blue fish whose dorsal fin is marked by a white edge while the top of the caudal fin and the bottom of the pectoral fins are likewise coloured. The bottom of the anal fin is tinged with a deep golden yellow.

Behaviour:

They are not as aggressive as many of the other Malawian cichlids, though these can be very aggressive as they are piscivores in the wild. Any fry released in a tank of S. fryeri is likely to be eaten quickly. They also guard their hunting territory with some ferocity, so territorial demarcation in the form of aquarium decor is a must.

Sexing:

Females are smaller, grey, and have a soft blue sheen rather than the electric blue of the male.

Breeding:

These fish mouth brood. Malawian mouth brooders usually fertilize the eggs in the female's mouth, but the eggs of S. fryeri are often laid under rocks in the wild, while males make nests in aquaria. Three weeks after mouth brooding starts, the fry are released.

A separate breeding tank might be necessary to successfully raise more than a small number of fry, but removing the female while she is holding will result in her spitting the fry and them being eaten.

Dominant males spawn with anyone and everyone that they can and then leave the females to hold the eggs elsewhere.

Natural Conditions

Since they are Malawian cichlids, Electric Blues are lacustrine fish that live in waters of high pH and hardness. They live between 10 and 40 meters deep. Thus, they are virtually uninfluenced by both water pressure and photosensitivity and will do well in a standard Malawi tank.

Miscellaneous:

For professional cichlidiots with an interest in taxonomy, there have been two genera which have been more vexing than perhaps any others throughout the piscine world, Cichlasoma and Haplochromis. Both these and the Malawian genus Pseudotropheus have undergone noticeably radical changes in the past decade. Thus, this fish, once known as Haplochromis ahli, has been reclassified, first as S. ahli and then, upon further examination, it became known as S. fryeri. Ad Koning (1993) was the only scientist to describe it correctly, as Iles (1960) tried to call it Haplochromis jacksoni and Cyrtocara ahli was also attempted. It turns out that Trewavas' original description is not correct, so Koning, as the first descriptor not to build on Trewavas, got credit for the description.