TankBud

Fenestratus hap

Protomelas fenestratus

Also known as Eye-bar hap

FreshwaterFish

Fenestratus hap (Protomelas fenestratus)
Klaus Rudloff · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
7.8–8.6
Adult size
5.5 in
14 cm
Minimum tank
53 gal
200 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Common
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Endemic to Lake Malawi (East Africa); northern and southwestern parts of the lake

Overview

The Fenestratus hap is a mostly peaceful Malawi hap that sits around the middle of the water column. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

Watch a Fenestratus hap work the substrate and you will see why hobbyists call these fish blowers. It takes a mouthful of sand, sifts it for tiny invertebrates and spits the cleaned grains back out, leaving little craters across the bottom. Over a day, a single fish can rework a surprising amount of the sand bed this way.

Caring for the Fenestratus hap

Keep Fenestratus haps as a harem, one male with several females, in at least 53 gal (200 L). A 280 liter or larger tank holds a colony better long term, since males get territorial when breeding. Give them an open sandy floor they can dig and sift through, rockwork with a few caves and plenty of clear swimming space.

Keep the water hard and alkaline, with a high KH and GH. Hold it at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.8 to 8.6. This is not a fish for soft or blackwater setups, and it is not brackish.

Feed quality cichlid pellets plus frozen or live foods, and skip mammalian meats. Avoid overfeeding protein, since heavy feeding or poor water raises the risk of Malawi bloat.

Do not house Fenestratus haps with boisterous mbuna. Pair them with other gentle Malawi cichlids instead, such as Aulonocara, Copadichromis and open-water haps.

It is a maternal mouthbrooder, so the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth until they are ready to release. Breeding them is moderately difficult.

Good to know

The Fenestratus hap, Protomelas fenestratus, is a haplochromine cichlid in the family Cichlidae. A healthy adult can live several years.

In the wild

The Fenestratus hap is endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa, in the northern and southwestern parts of the lake. Its home is a hard, alkaline Rift Lake habitat with a mix of open sandy bottoms and rocky zones.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Fenestratus hap 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 Fenestratus hap need?

A Fenestratus hap needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Fenestratus hap need?

A Fenestratus hap is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.8–8.6.

What does a Fenestratus hap eat?

A Fenestratus hap eats quality cichlid pellets plus frozen or live foods. Skip mammalian meats, and avoid overfeeding protein, since heavy feeding raises the risk of Malawi bloat.

How big does a Fenestratus hap get?

An adult Fenestratus hap reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).

How does a Fenestratus hap breed?

The Fenestratus hap is a maternal mouthbrooder, and the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth until they are ready to release. Breeding them is moderately difficult.

Related species