Copadichromis azureus
| Copadichromis azureus | |
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| Species: | C. azureus
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| Copadichromis azureus Konings, 1990
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Copadichromis azureus is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Malawi. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.
Feeding this cichlid is not that difficult. In nature Copadichromis azureus normally eats plankton from the open water. In the aquarium all food like pellets and flakes are eaten. To get the best colours from these marvellous Utaka, it's best to give them artemia, krill or shrimp.
Breeding is observed very frequently. I keep a group of 6 males and 5 females. There is always one of the females ready to spawn. Such a female is chased and seduced. At first she doesn't respond to the male's attempts. After a couple of days, when she's really ready to lay her eggs, her egg tube will open. A clear sign for the male to increase his activities. All other fish and especially the concurrent males are chased to the other half of the aquarium. Now the female follows the male into the nest. First the couple turns around in circles a few times and after slowing down a bit and shaking vigorously, the female lays her first 1 to 6 eggs. These are rapidly taken into her mouth. Then also the male shakes vigorously and releases the sperm thats picked up by the female. While doing this the eggs inside her mouth get fertilized. This procedure is repeated until all eggs are laid. Of course the older the female, the more eggs she produces. Depending on the temperature the eggs hatch after a few days and the fry is released after about 21 days. In nature Copadichromis females release their fry all together to increase the survival rate of the young fish. Unless you let the female spit in a separate tank (NO stripping!!!), it's almost impossible to keep the fry alive as they are eaten by the other adult cichlids as soon they're released.
References
- FishGeeks Profile Detailed profile including tank setup, feeding and husbandry.
- Kazembe, J., Makocho, P. & Mailosi, A. 2005. Copadichromis azureus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 4 August 2007.
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