Chrysonotus utaka

Copadichromis chrysonotus

Also known as White-top utaka

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.5–8.5
Adult size: 6.3 in (16 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, a plankton-feeding Malawi cichlid that displays and swims in the middle of the tank rather than down on the sand. Keep it in a group and give the males real swimming room, since they show off in open water instead of on the bottom. It is peaceful for a Malawi cichlid and mixes well with other mild-mannered haps, so tankmates are not a big worry as long as they share its taste for hard water. Feed a varied diet of small frozen foods and a good flake or pellet. A group needs open space in a tank of around 300 liters or more.

In the wild

Copadichromis chrysonotus feeds on plankton in open water over the rocky islands and reefs of Lake Malawi, out where there is little cover. The lake is hard and alkaline, so keep the pH between 7.5 and 8.5 and the temperature around 24 to 27 C. In the tank the priority is open, unobstructed swimming water, with rock arranged around the edges rather than filling the middle, so the fish have room to shoal and display the way they do in the lake.

Good to know

Copadichromis chrysonotus is a utaka cichlid in the family Cichlidae, reaching about 16 centimeters. The name means golden-backed, and breeding males turn deep blue with a bright blaze running along the back. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, but an unusual one: instead of building and defending a sand crater to spawn over, it holds a moving territory and spawns up in open water, away from the bottom.

Did you know

Most utaka males build and guard a crater or platform of sand to spawn over. This species skips construction altogether. It courts and spawns suspended in open water, a mobile territory with no fixed address, thought to cut down on egg predators and competition for space on the bottom.

Tank mates

Chrysonotus utaka is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.