TankBud

Featherfin cichlid

Cyathopharynx furcifer

FreshwaterFish

Featherfin cichlid (Cyathopharynx furcifer)
User:Haplochromis · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.0–9.0
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
119 gal
450 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Common
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Africa

Overview

The featherfin cichlid is a big, active Tanganyikan cichlid for the middle of a long, sandy tank. It is a fish for experienced keepers.

Did you know

The male featherfin cichlid's pelvic fins end in fleshy yellow tips that look like tiny paddles. As he works his sand crater, he flicks those tips out over the bottom. The theory is that females mistake them for eggs and move in to mouth them, which draws a female right onto the spawning site.

Caring for the featherfin cichlid

Featherfin cichlids need a long tank of at least 119 gal (450 L), with a six foot footprint and plenty of open swimming room. Lay down a deep bed of fine sand, using coral sand or aragonite to help hold the pH up. Add a few rock outcrops.

Keep the water warm, at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C), with a pH of 8.0 to 9.0. Hold the hardness stable at around 9 to 19 dGH. They are very sensitive to nitrate, so run frequent partial water changes and keep the water well oxygenated. Feed mostly vegetable-based foods and skip high-protein diets, since they are prone to bloat.

Keep them as a harem, one male to several females. They are mostly peaceful toward calm tank mates but boisterous and territorial toward their own kind. The male needs to be the dominant fish in the tank, or he sulks and loses color. Do not house them with mbuna or other rough Rift cichlids.

Males build large sand spawning craters that can spread up to about 60 cm across. The female is a maternal mouthbrooder and carries the eggs and fry in her mouth until they are ready to swim free. Breeding them is moderately hard.

Good to know

The featherfin cichlid, Cyathopharynx furcifer, belongs to the family Cichlidae. Its common name comes from the male's long, trailing pelvic fins.

In the wild

Featherfin cichlids are endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. They range over open sand flats near rocky drop-offs, in hard, alkaline water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The featherfin cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a featherfin cichlid need?

A featherfin cichlid needs at least 119 gal (450 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a featherfin cichlid need?

A featherfin cichlid is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.0–9.0.

What does a featherfin cichlid eat?

A featherfin cichlid eats mostly vegetable-based foods. Skip high-protein diets, since it is prone to bloat.

How big does a featherfin cichlid get?

An adult featherfin cichlid reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

How does a featherfin cichlid breed?

Featherfin cichlid males build large sand craters to spawn in, and the female is a maternal mouthbrooder. She carries the eggs and fry in her mouth until they are ready to swim free. Breeding them is moderately hard.

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