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Sardine Cichlid

Blue Flash ~ Slender Cichlid Family: Cichlidae

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Cyprichromis leptosoma Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

   For the upper part of your Lake Tanganyikan tank, include the energetic and colorful Sardine Cichlid!

   This 'Sardine' Cichlid is often referred to as the Blue Flash or the Slender Cichlid. It is not overly aggressive and enjoys schooling with a group of its conspecifics. In contrast to that activity, it has an amusing “stand on its head” behavior for times when it is being very still. These are some of the few fish that prefer the top areas of the tank, and so complement the middle and bottom dwellers. Their presence in the tank actually calms the other cichlids. When they see them out in the open, they figure it must be safe. Even your shell dwellers will spend more time out of their hiding places with these fish present.

Kekese male

   The 'Sardine Cichlid' or Blue Flash is the smallest of the Cyprichromis genus, reaching only up to 4" in length. It is a fairly peaceful cichlid but as a schooling fish will need a fairly large tank with plenty of room for swimming. In the wild they shoal in groups numbering in the thousands, in the aquarium a minimum of 12 is suggested for them to be comfortable. They tolerate their own species well. A good balance of three to four males with the being rest females will encourage the males to color up quite nicely. Keep them with other Tanganyika cichlids that are similar in temperament but inhabit the middle and lower regions of the tank. They are easy to moderate to care for as long as regular water changes are done to keep water at optimal levels. This fish is always wanting to spawn, so provide some plants to provide cover for the newly hatched fry.

   There are several slightly different color pattern variations, and all are very attractive. They mostly all have a nice uniformity to their body color, but differ in the contrast of horizontal lines and various shadings. These patterns vary depending upon the location in Lake Tanganyika where each specimen is collected. It is important to keep conspecific varieties and similar species separate to help prevent hybrid strains from entering the trade, thus losing the true color forms.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Sardine Cichlid, also known as the Slender Cichlid or Blue Flash, was described by Boulenger in 1898. These fish are endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Africa. They inhabit the upper regions of the water in large groups or shoals near rocky slopes along the eastern shore of the lake. They feed on drifting zooplankton and enjoy shellfish on occasion. The female Blue Flash will use other fish to protect her fry, which is actually not that uncommon with Tanganyikan fish.

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

Description:
   The body shape of the 'Sardine Cichlid' or Blue Flash is not typical of a cichlid, rather it is more of a “sardine” shape, a long and slender fish. It is similarly shaped to the Blue Neon Paracyprichromis nigripinnis, the difference with the Blue Flash “sardine” cichlid is in the uniformity of its body color. And though the Blue Flash is the smallest of the Cyprichromis genus, it is much larger than the Blue Neon. Males pretty much all have a body color that ranges from lavender to blue with a golden yellow to orangish yellow tail fin. Females are generally more beige with some yellow in their fins.

   There are variations in their coloring depending on the region where they are found, below are a few of them:

• Utinta (“Neonback”) male: This variety has a blue base color with four darker colored vertical bars. It also has an egg spot on the back part of the dorsal fin, that can be black, yellow or a combination of the two.
• Kerenge male: This variety has a lavender blue base color with four darker colored vertical bars.
• Bulu Point male: This variety has an overall solid blue on the top half of the body with the bottom half having scales that are gold and edged in the main body color so it appears the two colors are mixed. The tail fin and tips of the pelvic fin are orange with the anal fin remaining blue.
• Kekese male: This variety has an overall solid turquoise blue on the top half of the body with the bottom half having scales that are yellow and edged in the main body color so it appears the two colors are mixed. The tail fin, tips of the pelvic fins, and the anal fin are yellow.

   As the 'Sardine Cichlid' or Blue Flash becomes more popular, it could really use a generally agreed upon common name. There are other fish like the Blue Neon Paracyprichromis nigripinnis that are also sometimes referred to as 'sardine' fish. Currently this Sardine Cichlid or Slender Cichlid is often called by its scientific name, Cyprichromis leptosoma, but sometimes it is simply referred to as 'Cyp' or 'Lepto'. It is also named by the region it's from such as Malasa, Mupulungu, Kitumba, Utinta, Bulu Point, Kerenge, and Kekese. Yet there are still other names that describe it by its appearance with the most common being Blue Flash, others include Blue Glitter, Black Bee, Neon Head, Neon Back, Fluorescent Utinta, and more.
   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 Blue Flash grows to a length of 4” (10.2 cm).

Care and feeding:
   The Blue Flash is an omnivore. In the wild they feed on drifting zooplankton and enjoy shellfish on occasion. In the aquarium they can be be fed flakes and frozen foods along with cyclops, water fleas, shrimps, artemia or other special food for Lake Tanganyika cichlids. It is suggested that you do not feed live foods and tubifex worms due to possible diseases and pathogens that may be transferred to your fish. Feed 2 to 5 small pinches of food a day in smaller amounts instead of a large quantity once a day.  A one-day-a-week 'fast' can also be beneficial. All fish benefit from vitamins and supplements added to their foods.
   Provide at least a 55 gallon tank, or one with a minimum of 4 feet as they do shoal. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. For freshwater an optional practice is to add 1 heaping teaspoon of salt per 11 gallons of water. This is considered to be a simple and natural remedy for wounds, minor fungal infections and film over the eyes of fish in transit. Using a marine salt (used for salt water fish) will add some trace elements.
   They must have a hood since the Blue Flash are jumpers. Provide open area at the top to swim. Plants help fry to have a higher survival rate and give the adults a place to retreat. Some arrangements for a Lake Tanganyikan tank could be Cryptocoryne plants in the foreground, in the middle ground use swordplants that are the larger variety, and the very back can have water ferns. For a different or varied look, you can plant African Anubias and Java Fern on porous rock. Also include some floating plants.
   Do normal water changes of 10% to 15% a week, or more frequent changes depending on the nitrite/ammonia levels and stocking numbers. The Lake Tanganyika cichlids cannot handle large water changes very well unless the new water chemistry closely matches the water they are in. If a large water change is needed, changing 15% every couple of days should bring water back to normal. This inability to tolerate large water changes is due to Lake Tanganyika being very deep and the water tends to stay stable.
   These fish are susceptible to typical fish ailments, especially if water is stale and of poor quality and oxygenation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Water changes, not overfeeding or overcrowding, and observation along with feeding your fish the proper foods (thawing frozen food and adding vitamins) will keep them in optimum health.
   One common problem is Ich. It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F (30° C) for 3 days. If that does not cure the Ich, then the fish needs to be treated with copper (remove any water conditioners). Several copper based fish medications are available for Ich. Copper use must be kept within the proper levels, so be sure to follow the manufacturers suggestions. You can also combine increasing the temperature with an Ich medication treatment. A copper test also can be used to keep the proper levels.      

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

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 10 - 19 dH
   Ph: 8.4 (acceptable range 8.0 - 9.0)
   Temp: 73 - 77° F (23 - 25° C), ideally 77° F (24° C)

Lake Tanganyika is the second to largest lake in the world, thus contributing to a low fluctuation in Ph and temperature. Several things all Lake Tanganyika cichlids need are:

1. Stable temperatures kept within acceptable limits.
2. Lots of oxygen to survive. Lake Tanganyika is a very oxygen rich lake. Bubblers need to be going day and night, even if there are plants.
3. Avoid overfeeding and overstocking.
4. Do a 10-15% water change weekly.
5. Regularly check nitrates (no more than 25 ppm), Ph (less than 7 is not tolerated), total hardness and carbonate hardness.

Social Behaviors:
   The Blue Flash is actually a peaceful cichlid as far as cichlids are concerned. It is a community cichlid that can be kept with Tropheus sp., Julidochromis sp, Tanganyikan Goby Cichlid Eretmodus cyanostictus, Synodontis multipunctatus, and Neolamprologus sp. The numbers of these fish depend on the size of the tank of course. .
  They are generally pretty peaceful and will tolerate their own species as well. They can be kept in a group of 12 or more, with 3 or more being males, which will encourage the males to color up quite nicely. Oddly, the males within the group can actually obtain different coloring even though they are the same species.

Sexual Differences:
   These fish are easy to tell apart as the females are plain blue while the males have multicolored patterns.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Blue Flash has been bred in captivity. Male Blue Flash are always wanting to spawn, which contributes the the attractiveness of this fish in a community cichlid tank. They are always shaking and flashing to get the attention of the females.
   They are mouthbrooders that have formed their own twist on this category. They actually spawn in open waters without using substrate. The female is attracted to a male that is bending his body and vibrating this ventral fins. which look like dummy eggs. When the female snaps or nuzzles this fin, the male will release his semen or “milt” into the water. The female will then release one or two eggs into the milt, thus fertilizing them. She then takes the fertilized eggs into her mouth and continues this ritual until she has run out of eggs. Unlike other cichlids, the males and females do not form a bond. Spawning will produce from 4 to 20 fry depending on the female’s health and age. She will carry the eggs for 3-4 weeks and then spit them out between crevices of rocks. She will not protect them, but will deposit her eggs near a Lepidiolamprologus profundicola, which is a large piscivorous substrate-spawning cichlid, that acts as a surrogate mother. The L. profundicola is not dedicated to protecting the Blue Flash fry, but her presence actually deters predators.
   Feed the fry newly hatched brine shrimp and decapsulated brine shrimp eggs when first born. (They will not be able to digest the eggs if they are not decapsulated.) The fry grow quickly and will soon be able to take in cyclopeeze and frozen daphnia. There is also a product from Hilkari called “First Bites” that works well. The fry can be sexed at 2” when the male coloration appears. See more about cichlid breeding in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   The Sardine Cichlid, also known as the Slender Cichlid or Blue Flash, is only occasionally available online and rarely in fish stores. They range between $12.00 - $15.00 USD for juveniles. Purchase from a reputable dealer, due to hybridization it takes a trained eye to choose the correct color strain that has not been crossed.

Author: Carrie McBirney
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS

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