Electric Blue Cichlid (Sciaenochromis fryeri) Breeding Guide

Breeding the Electric Blue Hap (Sciaenochromis fryeri) from Lake Malawi: a maternal mouthbrooder bred in a harem that holds 50-70 eggs for about three weeks.

Overview

Sciaenochromis fryeri is a maternal mouthbrooding haplochromine endemic to Lake Malawi, found along rocky coastal areas. Males develop the intense electric-blue colour the species is named for, while females remain plain, and it spawns readily in a species-tank harem.

Sexing

Mature males show the bright electric-blue colouration, which varies in intensity with mood, while females are much plainer. Juveniles are difficult to sex because they share the same colouring.

Conditioning

Condition the fish with a high-quality diet composed mainly of vegetable matter. Target spawning conditions are around pH 8.2-8.5 and a temperature of about 25-27 °C (77-80 °F).

Breeding Setup

Spawn in a species tank with one male and at least three females; a tank around 60 inches long is recommended, furnished with rocks and open areas of substrate as spawning sites.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The male takes a territory near sloping rocks and displays his colours to attract females. When a female is willing, she approaches and lays eggs one at a time; the male catches them with his anal fin and fertilises them, and the female collects them in her mouth, repeating until she holds around 50-70 eggs.

Egg & Fry Care

The female carries the eggs for around three weeks before releasing free-swimming fry, not eating during this period and showing a visibly distended mouth. The fry are large enough to take brine shrimp nauplii, sieved daphnia, microworm and powdered dried foods from birth.

Common Challenges

As with other Malawi mouthbrooders, the main risks are excessive male pressure on too few females and a holding female releasing her brood early if disturbed, so a balanced harem and a calm tank are important.