Finescale cyprichromis

Cyprichromis microlepidotus

Also known as Smallscale sardine cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Finescale cyprichromis (Cyprichromis microlepidotus) — (c) Rufus46, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.8–9.0
Adult size: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Minimum tank: 79 gal (300 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Tanganyika, northern basin
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

This is an open-water schooling cichlid that lives up in the column and never really settles on the bottom, so keep a proper shoal of a dozen or more; there is no upper limit to worry about, and bigger groups look and behave best. It hangs in the middle and upper water, so pair it with rock-dwelling Tanganyikans below to fill the tank from top to bottom. It is peaceful and no threat to tankmates. Feed small foods that stay suspended, frozen cyclops, brine shrimp and fine flake or micropellets it can catch mid-water. A shoal needs a tall tank of at least 300 liters with hard, alkaline water and rock at the back and sides.

In the wild

Cyprichromis microlepidotus schools in open water against the rocky cliffs of the northern end of Lake Tanganyika, hanging above and just off the rock rather than on the sand. Recreate that with a tall tank, rockwork along the back and sides, and lots of open water in front for the shoal to hover in. Keep the water hard and alkaline like the lake, around 24 to 27 C at a pH from 7.8 to 9, clean and well oxygenated.

Good to know

A cichlid of the family Cichlidae, this sardine cichlid reaches about 11 centimeters and has the finest scales in its genus, which its name microlepidotus, meaning small-scaled, records. It is a maternal mouthbrooder that spawns in open water, with males splitting a school into rival colors, blue, violet and gold across different forms. Given a settled shoal, breeding is a moderate undertaking.

Did you know

Because it lives and breeds in open water, the female never lets her eggs fall: she catches them in her mouth in mid-water as she lays, and broods the whole clutch without ever touching down.

Tank mates

Finescale cyprichromis is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.