Deepwater hap

Care at a glance

Overview

Give a group a tank of at least 250 liters with an open sand bottom and some rock structure. Water should be hard and alkaline at 24 to 27 C, pH 7.8 to 8.6. It is calm for its size and mixes well with peacocks and other gentle haps rather than aggressive mbuna. Feed sinking pellets and frozen foods, with sand it can sift for a natural feeding routine.

In the wild

The deepwater hap lives over sand near rocky areas, especially around Likoma Island in Lake Malawi. In the wild it shadows larger sand sifting cichlids and snaps up invertebrates they dig loose. Males glow pale blue with dark vertical bars while females stay silver.

Good to know

Despite the name, this fish is not found unusually deep and does most of its feeding in the sandy shallows. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, with the female carrying eggs and fry in her throat for about three weeks. The genus Placidochromis holds a large number of similar sand and rock dwelling Malawi haps.

Did you know

In the lake it often trails behind sand diggers, treating their digging like a moving buffet of exposed worms and larvae.

Related species

• 

  Star sapphire cichlid

  Placidochromis phenochilus

  7.9 in (20 cm)79 gal (300 L)77–82°F (25–28°C)

• 

  Sulphur-head hap

  Otopharynx lithobates

  6.3 in (16 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Ellioti cichlid

  Thorichthys maculipinnis

  5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Firemouth cichlid

  Thorichthys meeki

  5.9 in (15 cm)30 gal (115 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Black calvus

  Altolamprologus calvus

  5.1 in (13 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Compressiceps

  Altolamprologus compressiceps

  5.1 in (13 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)