TankBud

Foa's featherfin

Cyathopharynx foai

Also known as Cyathopharynx foae, Green featherfin

FreshwaterFish

Foa's featherfin (Cyathopharynx foai)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

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 · Hard
Rarity
Common
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Lake Tanganyika

Overview

Foa's featherfin is a display fish for a mature, roomy Tanganyika tank. It is a fish for experienced keepers.

Did you know

Male Foa's featherfins tip their pelvic streamers with egg-yellow lures. Females chase the fake eggs and collect the real ones in mid-fuss.

Caring for the Foa's featherfin

Give Foa's featherfins at least 119 gal (450 L), with deep, fine sand and a large, uninterrupted floor. Keep the water pristine, with stable alkalinity, at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.0 to 9.0.

Keep one male with three or more females. The male builds a wide crater nest and spends his day rebuilding it and displaying over it. Do not add fish that compete for the sand. House it with Cyprichromis above, and keep shell dwellers well away from the nest.

Males trail extended pelvic fins tipped with yellow spatulate lobes, which they flick through display. It is a maternal mouthbrooder. Spawning is difficult because the male will not perform without a nest, and the nest needs floor space most tanks cannot offer.

Good to know

Cyathopharynx foai was long treated as a form of C. furcifer before being recognized separately. A displaying male shifts through blues and yellows by the hour.

In the wild

Cyathopharynx foai displays over sand aprons just below the rocky shoreline of Lake Tanganyika. Males clear crater nests there that can approach a meter across. The water is hard, alkaline and unusually stable.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Foa's featherfin 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 Foa's featherfin need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Foa's featherfin need?

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

How big does a Foa's featherfin get?

An adult Foa's featherfin reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

How can you tell a male Foa's featherfin from a female?

Males trail extended pelvic fins tipped with yellow spatulate lobes. They flick them through their display.

How does a Foa's featherfin breed?

Foa's featherfin is a maternal mouthbrooder. The male will not spawn without a crater nest, and that nest needs more floor space than most tanks offer.

Related species