Electric Blue Hap

Distribution:
   The Electric Blue Hap was described by Konings in 1993, and are found at depths of 32 to 131 feet (10-40m) throughout Lake Malawi, Africa. They prefer rocky areas, hiding in caves or in cracks of the rocks looking for small fish to eat.

Status:
   This species is listed on the IUCN Red List, but with the status of 'LC', meaning 'Least Concern'.

Description:
   The body of the Electric Blue Hap is stocky and elongated, and has 9 to 12 dark vertical bars. All males are electric blue with some variations depending on location. They all have yellow, orange or red in the anal fin. Southern populations of Lake Malawi differ in having the top of the dorsal fin trimmed in white. Northern populations of Lake Malawi lack this white accent, unless they are very large. Males can take up to a year to develop the intense blue coloring. Females are silver, but mature females can at times have hints of light blue. Juveniles are generally similar to females. Developing immature males are a light blue. Cichlids from Lake Malawi generally live from 7 to 10 years.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense “smells” in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being “sampled” for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to “smell” the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

Size - Weight:
  The Electric Blue Hap grows to a length of 6” (15.5 cm), sometimes larger in home aquaria.

Care and feeding:
   The Electric Blue Hap is carnivorous and will eat any fish small enough to consume! They should be fed a quality cichlid pellet, occasionally supplemented with frozen krill, mysis or brine shrimp. Fry can be fed crushed flake and crushed protein pellets. Generally feed several times a day in smaller amounts, though feeding them everyday is not always necessary as they have a tendency to overeat and this can contribute to Malawi bloat. All fish benefit from adding liquid vitamins to dry foods.
   A minimum 55 gallons (4 feet in length is minimal, provide 6 feet to be most successful). They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. Sand used for saltwater fish or freshwater can be used and if keeping them with a higher Ph, the saltwater sand can help keep the Ph up. Some rock work and wood to provide hiding places is necessary, but they need open space for swimming at the bottom and middle areas of the tank.
   Malawi Cichlids will deteriorate under poor water conditions. Water changes of 10% to 20% a week depending on bio load. Malawi bloat is a typical disease especially if over fed. They can contract other diseases that ail all freshwater fish.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in the middle and bottom areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   The streams that flow into Lake Malawi have a high mineral content. This along with evaporation has resulted in alkaline water that is highly mineralized. Lake Malawi is known for its clarity and stability as far as PH and other water chemistries. It is easy to see why it is important to watch tank parameters with all Lake Malawi fish. A higher PH means that ammonia is more lethal, so water changes are a must for these fishes. A very slow acclimation to different PH levels can sometimes be achieved.
   Hardness: 6 - 10° dH
   Ph: 7.7 - 8.6
   Temp: 73 - 82° F (23 -28° C).

Social Behaviors:
   The Electric Blue Hap is not considered to be a community fish. They can be housed with other Haplochromis and peaceful Mbuna, but do not house with male and female Aulonocara (Peacock Cichlids). They will kill the male Peacocks and hybridize with the females..
  They are best kept in groups of one male and 4 or more females. Fewer females will have limited spawning ability of only a year or so due to stress. Larger tanks, 6 feet in length or so, make things a little less stressful. Males tend to mellow out with age though they can be very aggressive if they are the “boss” of the tank. They will attack and kill any other males of the same species in the tank. Males also have a liking for female Peacocks and will kill the male to mate with them. If overstocking is used as a form of aggression reduction, care should be taken to do several partial water changes a week.

Sexual Differences:
   Males are larger and all electric blue with a yellow, orange or red anal fin. Females are silver with faint vertical bars, though they can be a very faint blue if mature.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Electric Blue Hap has been bred in captivity. It is suggested to get a group of at least 6 to 8 juveniles and let them grow up together. This should yield at least one male and 4 or more females. In captivity they will spawn every 2 months from May to September if the water is of high quality. Only a small area is chosen to spawn and they spawn easily, even in a crowded tank.
   The male’s coloring becomes intense, with the vertical bars becoming darker along with an intensity of the anal fin coloring (yellow, orange, or red). The male will build up an area of substrate close to a large rock and encourage the female to come in and mate. The female will lay her eggs, then the water movement pushes them toward the male. He catches them with his anal fin and fertilizes them, after which the female picks them up in her mouth.
   The female will carry the eggs for 2-3 weeks, though after releasing 15 to 70 fry, she does not really care for them. Some aquarists who want more control over the process will net the female, which causes her to release the eggs. The eggs are then put in their own tank to incubate and grow. See the description of how cichlids breed in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
  Electric Blue Hap are usually found online for around $9.00 to $40.00 USD. Price is dependent on whether they are male, female, or juvenile. They are usually found in fish stores, though may be special ordered if you are willing to wait for them if they are out of season.
   When acquiring a Electric Blue Hap, with all the different varieties that have formed in captivity, there is no way to tell exactly what you are getting unless it is from a reputable dealer.

Author: Carrie McBirney