Heterotaenia hap

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a large, predatory hap from Lake Malawi that needs a big tank and careful stocking. It hunts in open water and takes any fish small enough to swallow, so it cannot share a tank with small or slim companions; keep it only with other large, robust Malawi cichlids that it cannot eat. It can be kept as a group of one male with several females, or with other big haps, in a very large system. Feed meaty foods: quality carnivore pellets, frozen mysis and krill, and larger frozen or gel foods, and avoid feeder fish. A tank of around 600 liters or more, and a long one, is the practical minimum for an adult.

In the wild

Buccochromis heterotaenia is endemic to Lake Malawi, patrolling open water and the sandy, weedy zones between rocks as it hunts smaller fish. Give it a long tank with open swimming room, a sandy floor, and some rock or structure to break sightlines. The lake is hard, alkaline, and warm, so hold 24 to 28 C and a pH of 7.6 to 8.6 with strong filtration to handle a big, messy predator.

Good to know

Buccochromis heterotaenia belongs to the cichlid family and is one of Malawi's large hunting haps, growing to around 30 centimeters. Males are metallic blue with a bold yellow stripe running the length of the body. It is a maternal mouthbrooder of medium difficulty despite its size, the female carrying the brood in her mouth.

Did you know

The genus name Buccochromis points to the mouth: these are big-mouthed open-water predators whose jaws stretch forward and open wide to engulf prey, letting a fish that looks slender take surprisingly large mouthfuls.

Common questions

Related species

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• 

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