Fusco Hap

Care at a glance

Overview

This is an aggressive, predatory cichlid, so it needs a large tank around 280 liters or more with open swimming room and some rock shelter. It hunts near the bottom but uses the middle water too. Do not keep it with small fish, since they read as food. Feed quality pellets and frozen foods like shrimp or fish-based items, and skip live feeders. Tankmates should be other large, sturdy Malawi cichlids.

In the wild

The Fusco hap lives in Lake Malawi, in the intermediate zone where sandy floors meet rocky outcrops, anywhere from about 5 to 50 meters down. The water is clear, hard, and alkaline. For a tank, that means open sandy areas for hunting plus some rock for cover, hard water, and pH in the high 7s to mid 8s. It needs the open space as much as the structure.

Good to know

Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus is a large haplochromine cichlid in the family Cichlidae, reaching around 25 cm. Juveniles and females wear a mottled brown pattern, while mature males turn blue with vertical barring. It is a maternal mouthbrooder. Aquarium breeding is not well documented for this species, and it is considered stable in the wild for now.

Did you know

Its genus is known for a sneaky hunting trick: the fish lies still on the sand, looking like a dead or dying fish, until smaller fish drift close to investigate, then it lunges. This lie-and-wait ambush is a clear bit of deception and explains the open sandy patches it favors in the lake.

Related species

• 

  Livingston's cichlid

  Nimbochromis livingstonii

  9.8 in (25 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Kaligono

  Nimbochromis polystigma

  10.2 in (26 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Venustus cichlid

  Nimbochromis venustus

  11.8 in (30 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Cuban cichlid

  Nandopsis tetracanthus

  9.8 in (25 cm)75 gal (285 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Jack Dempsey

  Rocio octofasciata

  9.8 in (25 cm)55 gal (208 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
• Malawi barracuda

  Rhamphochromis cf. macrophthalmus

  9.8 in (25 cm)79 gal (300 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)