Electric blue hap
| Electric blue hap | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Sciaenochromis |
| Species: | S. ahli
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| Binomial name | |
| Sciaenochromis ahli (Trewavas, 1935)
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| Synonyms | |
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The electric blue hap (Sciaenochromis ahli) is a species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Malawi. It prefers to live in caves and crevices in rocky substrates. This species can reach a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.[2]
In the aquarium[edit]
The electric blue hap is a popular aquarium fish due to its colouration. It should be kept in tanks of no less than 150 litres. A semi aggressive fish, only one male is recommended per tank; however if large numbers are kept in a spacious enough environment, it is possible to keep more than one. Tank mates must be selected carefully. Large numbers prevent a single fish from being the target of aggression. The females are a drab grey in comparison and slightly smaller.[3] They prefer rocky exhibits with coral sand.
Breeding[edit]
As with many other cichlids, the electric blue hap is a mouth-brooder. The recommended ratio of males to females is 1:4. The female broods for 2–3 weeks. When the fry are released, they are around 1 cm.[4]
Etymology[edit]
The specific name of this fish honours the German zoologist Ernst Ahl (1898-1945) who originally described this species in 1926 as Haplochromis serranoides but this name had already been used by Charles Tate Regan in 1922, although Regan's name is a synonym of Haplochromis spekii.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Konings, A.; Kazembe, J.; Makocho, P.; Mailosi, A. (2018). "Sciaenochromis ahli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T60965A47225751. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T60965A47225751.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Sciaenochromis ahli" in FishBase. April 2013 version.
- ^ "Sciaenochromis fryeri". www.borstein.info. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
- ^ "Electric Blue Hap | Sciaenochromis ahli".
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (25 September 2018). "Order CICHLIFORMES: Family CICHLIDAE: Subfamily PSEUDOCRENILABRINAE (p-y)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
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