All fish / Cichlidae

Copadichromis pleurostigmoides

Copadichromis pleurostigmoides

Also known as pleurostigmoides, copadichromis pleuro, utaka pleurostigmoides, haplochromis pleurostigmoides

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This is a slender utaka from Lake Malawi, where it feeds on plankton in open water near rocky areas. Females and young fish are silvery with a row of dark spots along the flank, and breeding males turn blue with darker markings. Hobbyists keep it as a fairly calm, colourful open-water haplochromine for a Malawi community tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

13 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

7.6 to 8.6

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

One male with 3 or more females

Diet

Omnivore: quality cichlid pellets, frozen mysis, brine shrimp and krill

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Lake Malawi (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania)

Breeding

It is a maternal mouthbrooder. The male digs a spawning site, and the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth for about three weeks. Breeding in a well-kept tank is not difficult.

Good to know

Males can be territorial while spawning, so give them plenty of swimming space and do not keep them with very aggressive mbuna. This species is rarely traded, and it can be mixed up with other spotted Copadichromis such as C. mloto.