Azureus

Care at a glance

Overview

Copadichromis azureus is a mostly peaceful open-water cichlid that does best in a group, so keep one dominant male with several females to spread out his attention during breeding. Males hold loose territories but chase far less than mbuna, and they mix well with other medium Lake Malawi cichlids of similar temperament. Give them a tank of at least 300 liters with rockwork along the back and plenty of open swimming room in the middle of the water column. In the wild this is a plankton feeder, so offer a good cichlid pellet or flake along with frozen brine shrimp, mysis, and cyclops, and keep feedings small and frequent.

In the wild

This species comes from Lake Malawi in East Africa, where it lives over rocky slopes and ranges out into open water to feed. The lake is warm, hard, and alkaline, and those conditions matter in the aquarium. Aim for a temperature of 25 to 28 degrees Celsius and a pH between 7.5 and 8.5, with a high mineral content. Build up piles of rock to break the sightlines and give males a base to hold, but leave the center of the tank open so the fish can cruise in mid-water the way they do in the lake. A sand substrate and bright, steady lighting suit them.

Good to know

Copadichromis azureus belongs to the cichlid family, Cichlidae, and is one of the utaka group of Lake Malawi haplochromines that feed on plankton in open water rather than grazing rock. Adults reach about 15 centimeters, with dominant males turning an intense metallic blue while females and subordinate males stay silvery. It is a maternal mouthbrooder. After a rocky courtship the female collects the fertilized eggs into her mouth and broods them for around three weeks, releasing the fry only once they can swim and feed on their own. Breeding is manageable for a keeper with stable hard water.

Did you know

Rather than scraping algae off rocks like many Lake Malawi cichlids, the azureus is an utaka, hovering in open water and picking tiny plankton from the current, which is why it spends so much of its time out in the middle of the tank.

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