Cyprichromis Zonatus (Cyprichromis zonatus) Care Guide
Banded Cyprichromis from northern Tanganyika with dark vertical bars and yellow finnage in males. Smaller schooling species; peaceful and excellent dither fish.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Cyprichromis zonatus is a species in the family Cichlidae. Banded Cyprichromis from northern Tanganyika with dark vertical bars and yellow finnage in males. Smaller schooling species; peaceful and excellent dither fish.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cichlidae
- Genus: Cyprichromis
- Scientific name: Cyprichromis zonatus
- Origin: Africa, Lake Tanganyika
Habitat
Endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it forms large open-water shoals above rocky drop-offs. A planktivorous cichlid that feeds on zooplankton in midwater. A maternal mouthbrooder that spawns in open water; described to science relatively recently.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 250 L
- Temperature: 24-27 °C
- pH: 8.5-9.2
- GH: 12-25 °dGH
- Adult size: 9-11 cm
- Lifespan: 5-8 years
- Recommended group size: ≥ 10
- Difficulty: intermediate
Diet
Classified as carnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 2x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: peaceful
- Swimming level: top
- Compatible tank mates: Tropheus, Petrochromis, Cyphotilapia frontosa, Julidochromis, Synodontis petricola
- Avoid with: Mbuna, Aggressive haps, Boulengerochromis
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: mouthbrooder
- Breeding difficulty: intermediate
Breeding Cyprichromis zonatus
Overview
Cyprichromis zonatus is a peaceful, shoaling cichlid known from the Zambian coastline of Lake Tanganyika. FishBase records a maximum standard length of about 8.6 cm in males and 8.1 cm in females. It is a maternal mouthbrooder and, like other members of the genus, spawns in open water above the rocky substrate.
Sexing
Males grow slightly larger than females and develop the brighter colour and finnage shown when displaying. In the lake, schools consist of females and sub-adult males, while mature males hold territories above large rocks, which can help identify breeding-ready males in the aquarium.
Conditioning
As a small-mouthed midwater feeder, the species is conditioned on small live and frozen foods. Several modest feeds spread through the day suit its feeding style better than a single large meal. A large, settled group in hard, alkaline water of 24-27 °C maintains spawning condition.
Breeding Setup
This is a social species best kept in groups of six or more, with ten or more preferable. Provide a tall, open upper water column over a rocky base so males can establish midwater territories. In nature the fish hold 1-5 m above rocky bottoms while males defend space above boulders.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Females spawn with the dominant males in the area, releasing eggs that are immediately taken into the mouth. Spawning occurs in the water column rather than on the substrate, consistent with the genus's midwater reproductive strategy.
Egg & Fry Care
Because the mouth is small, broods are limited to roughly 5-20 fry, which the female carries to release. The small clutch of large eggs yields well-developed fry that can be reared on small live and frozen foods once free-swimming.
Common Challenges
Modest brood sizes keep per-spawn yields low, and the species needs a sizeable, stable shoal in clean water to spawn reliably. Keeping the group large enough to avoid stress is the main husbandry challenge.