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Sciaenochromis fryeri
| Scientific Name: Sciaenochromis fryeri |
| Common Name: Electric Blue Hap |
| Origin: Confined to Lake Malawi, Africa. Mostly found near rocky shores. They typically will hang around colonies of mbuna, where they find wanderers straying from their protective caves. They will also hang out in shallows where females release fry, in hopes of finding an easy meal. |
| Water Conditions: As with most Malawi cichlids, the Electric Blue need medium to slightly hard water with a temperature of between 75 and 80F, and a pH of between 7.5 and 8.5. Frequent water changes are a must, about 30% to 40% every seven to ten days is ideal. |
| Diet: The Electric Blue will eat a variety of cichlid pellets and flakes. A meaty diet is recommended, brine shrimp and bloodworms tend to be a good source. Often they are the first to eat and always get the most food, mainly because they have a predator mouth where they can store an enormous amount of prey. They readily accept live foods. |
| Mature Size: Males get up to 8 inches ( cm). Females get up to 6.5 inches ( cm). |
| Sexual Dimorphism: Males are an intense sparkling azure blue showing around 9-12 vertical bars. They have a whitish edging on their dorsal fin that extends towards their mouth as they mature. The females tend to be smaller than the males and will look just as they do when they are juveniles, remaining a silvery gray color with a dark edging on the dorsal fin. Sub-dominant males will look more like females to avoid dominant male aggression, however they do tend to show a bit more blue than the females. |
| Breeding: The Electric Blue is a polygamous harem breeder and should be kept in groups consisting of one male and two to four females. They should start showing breeding behavior at about seven to eight months, and should be fully capable at about ten to twelve months. They are mouthbrooders and usually yield between twenty-five and thirty fry per brood. The female will carry the fry for about 24 days, usually without eating. The female will continue to care for the fry several days after their initial release. The mothers presence is not essential to their survival, so she can be separated from them as soon as they are released. The spawns tend to be 75-80% male. |
| General Description: The male Electric Blue generally do not harass the females too much although they do have a slight territorial behavior. If your tank is fairly large, the male will find a place and claim his territorial rights, from which he will display actively to potential spawning partners. Fortunately, the Electric Blue is somewhat calm and will only scare competitors away from his territory, not hunt them till death. As long as they are maintained under optimal conditions, they will live and breed quite well. |
| Suitable Tankmates: The Electric Blue can be kept with a variety of Aulonocara and Haplochromis without to many problems. If you plan to have males and females, try to avoid mixing them with similar looking fish, make sure the male breeding dress of the species you house the Electric Blue with does not look similar to the Electric Blue breeding dress, other males will compete for the females even though they are a different species. They are as aggressive as the majority of mbuna but it is not recommended they be kept together. |
| Other Species In Genus: Sciaenochromis serranoides, Sciaenochromis ahli, Sciaenochromis psammophilus, and Sciaenochromis benthicola. |
| Personal Note: The Electric Blue grow to be very colorful and are a great addition to any suitable tank. They are relatively calm and fairly easy to maintain as long as they are compatible with their tankmates. |
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