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White lethrinops

Lethrinops albus

Also known as Albus sand hap

FreshwaterFish

White lethrinops (Lethrinops albus)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
7.5–8.5
Adult size
6.3 in
16 cm
Minimum tank
79 gal
300 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Lake Malawi

Overview

The white lethrinops is a gentle, sand-sifting hap from Lake Malawi that lives on and just above the bottom. It suits a long, sandy tank and a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

The plain color of the white lethrinops is camouflage. On the clean, pale sand it lives over, a silver-white female is nearly invisible. A courting male stands out only briefly before fading back into the floor.

Caring for the white lethrinops

Give the white lethrinops a long tank of at least 79 gal (300 L). Cover the floor with a broad, open bed of soft, fine sand at least a few centimeters deep. Keep a little rockwork around the edges rather than filling the space. Sharp gravel damages its sifting, so fine sand is not optional.

Keep the water hard and alkaline, with good mineral content. Hold it at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. The fish takes mouthfuls of sand and filters out small invertebrates through its gills. Feed sinking pellets, frozen brine shrimp and mysis, and let the food reach the floor.

Keep one male with several females, so the male can display without harassing a single target. The white lethrinops is mild for a Malawi cichlid and mixes well with other calm, open-water species of similar size. Avoid boisterous rock-dwelling mbuna, which will bully it off the sand.

Breeding males take on citrus and blue at the nest, while females stay a plain silver-white. Males scrape shallow sand craters as spawning sites. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, and the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth for a few weeks. Breeding is of moderate difficulty in a spacious sand tank.

Good to know

Lethrinops albus is a Malawi hap in the family Cichlidae. Young fish are a plain silver-white, like the adult females.

In the wild

In Lake Malawi the white lethrinops patrols open sand flats and sifts the substrate for food. The water there is hard and alkaline.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The white lethrinops is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. 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 white lethrinops need?

A white lethrinops needs at least 79 gal (300 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a white lethrinops need?

A white lethrinops is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.

What does a white lethrinops eat?

A white lethrinops eats sinking pellets, frozen brine shrimp and mysis, and the food should reach the floor. It also filters small invertebrates out of mouthfuls of sand.

How big does a white lethrinops get?

An adult white lethrinops reaches about 6.3 in (16 cm).

How can you tell a male white lethrinops from a female?

Males take on citrus and blue at the nest when they breed. Females stay a plain silver-white.

How does a white lethrinops breed?

A white lethrinops is a maternal mouthbrooder, and the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth for a few weeks. Males scrape shallow sand craters as spawning sites. Breeding is of moderate difficulty.

Related species