''Sciaenochromis'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

haplochromine __NOTOC__ The haplochromine cichlids are a tribe of cichlids in subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae called Haplochromini. This group includes the type genus ''Haplochromis'' plus a number of closely related genera such as '' Aulonocara'', '' Astatotila ...

cichlid Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, () is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is ...

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

. The species are popular in the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

hobby, most notably '' S. fryeri''. Only males possess the impressive, electric blue coloration, while females are dull grey, and generally similar to the females of ''

Aulonocara ''Aulonocara'' is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. All ''Aulonocara'' species are maternal mouthbrooding, mouth brooders. Particularly in the aquarium hobby, ''Aulonocara'' species are also known as peaco ...

'' species. All ''Sciaenochromis'' are

piscivore A piscivore () is a carnivorous animal that primarily eats fish. Fish were the diet of early tetrapod evolution (via water-bound amphibians during the Devonian period); insectivory came next; then in time, the more terrestrially adapted repti ...

s (fish-eaters) and prey mainly upon the fry of

mbuna Mbuna (pronounced Mmm-boo-nah ) is the common name for a large group of African cichlids from Lake Malawi, and are members of the haplochromine tribe within the family Cichlidae. The name ''mbuna'' means "rockfish" in the language of the Tonga pe ...

and other haplochromine cichlids.

Species

There are currently four recognized species in this genus:

In the aquarium

Like all

cichlids Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of Percomorpha, percomorph fish in the family (biology), family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been Binomial nomenclature, scientifically described, making ...

from

, they are best maintained in hard,

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

water. ''Sciaenochromis'' are best kept in tanks with volumes greater than 210 L (55 gal). This is an aggressive fish, and the minimum tank size of 210 litres is only acceptable with a trio of 1 male and 2 females. When more than one male is kept, experts recommend a minimum tank size of being the minimum. Males can also display aggression towards similarly-coloured fish of other species, for example ''

'' or ''

Placidochromis ''Placidochromis'' is a genus of cichlids endemism, endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa. They are part of the haplochromine lineage of Lake Malawi's cichlid taxa. Most ''Placidochromis'' species live in the open or sandy regions of the lake. ...

''. its better to be careful having an 'Electric Blue Hap' in an aquarium.

References

Haplochromini * Fishkeeping Cichlid genera Taxa named by Ethelwynn Trewavas {{Pseudocrenilabrinae-stub