Blue utaka

Copadichromis cyaneus

Also known as Cyaneus hap

FreshwaterFish

Blue utaka (Copadichromis cyaneus) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.5–8.5
Adult size: 7.5 in (19 cm)
Minimum tank: 79 gal (300 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Malawi
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

This is an open-water utaka from Lake Malawi, a mid-water cichlid that in the wild hangs over deep rock picking plankton from the current. Keep it in a group of six or more, ideally one male with several females, in a roomy tank with long open swimming lanes. It is only mildly aggressive for a Malawi cichlid, so it mixes well with peacocks, other calm haps, and similar-sized company. Feed small foods often, the way plankton drifts in: quality flake and small pellets, frozen cyclops, daphnia, and mysis. A tank of around 300 liters or more, and a long one, gives this active swimmer the space it needs.

In the wild

Copadichromis cyaneus lives in Lake Malawi over deep rock and the open water above it, feeding on drifting zooplankton. Give it a tall, long tank with some rock structure for the males to hold near and plenty of clear water to swim. The lake is hard, alkaline, and warm, so hold 24 to 27 C and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5 with strong filtration and good current.

Good to know

Copadichromis cyaneus belongs to the cichlid family and reaches about 19 centimeters. Utaka is the local name for these open-water Copadichromis that feed on plankton in schools; dominant males of this species turn a deep glassy blue with white fin edges. It is a maternal mouthbrooder of medium difficulty, the female carrying eggs and fry in her mouth.

Did you know

Utaka feed by picking individual plankton animals out of open water all day long, a very different life from the algae-scraping mbuna of the same lake. To do it they have protrusible, tube-like mouths that shoot forward to snatch single prey.