Geo. Origin: Chizumulu and Likoma Islands and from Makanjila Point to Nkanda
Habitat: Sediment-Free Rocky Habitat
Diet: Carnivore
Gender Differences: Dimorphic
Breeding: Maternal Mouthbrooder
Maximum Size: 8"
Temperature: 78 - 82°F
pH: 7.8 - 8.6
Water Hardness: Hard
Comments:
Copadichromis are utaka, haps that feed on zooplankton. Feeding near rocks but in the water column minimizes competition, but increases vulnerability to predators. Males and females forage together throughout the year. When ready to spawn they migrate to shallow water. Fry are released among plants or along rocky shorelines and form large shoals, becoming prey for other fish. C. yellow jumbo is a shy fish that claims a territory on top of a tall rock in shallow water. Males are blue. Females defend fry and have silver-brown bodies with three spots and yellow fins.
Pronunciation: Refer to our Pronunciation Key for an explanation of the phonetic symbols.
Habitat: This is the primary location where the cichlid is found and is a generalization. This does not mean a fish cannot be found in other habitats.
Diet: Many cichlids specialize in eating one type of food; notwithstanding, some of these specialized feeders are flexible and can be opportunistic feeders.
Temperament: This describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tankmates that are of a different species. Consider that there is variability in temperament due to various factors, including aquarium size, tankmates of similar appearance, stocking levels, and order of introduction. There may even be some variability among individual specimens.
Conspecific Temperament: This describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tank- mates of the same species. Consider that there is variability in temperament due to such factors as aquarium size, stocking levels and order of introduction. There may even be some variability among individual specimens.
Maximum Size: This is in regards to total length (including the tail) of typical aquarium specimens. Wild specimens may not attain this size, or may in fact grow larger than aquarium raised individuals due to various factors. Also consider that this is the typical maximum size and there are exceptional individuals that will exceed it.
Difficulty:
This measure is a relative value, comparing a single species against all
other cichlids.
This only accounts for maintanence in the aquarium and not breeding
considerations.
1 = easy and forgiving, 5 = extremely challenging.
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