Electric blue hap care
Sciaenochromis fryeri · Rocky shores of Lake Malawi, 10 to 40 m deep
The electric blue hap is a Lake Malawi cichlid whose males turn a deep, electric blue; females stay silvery.
- Tank size
- 75 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 76 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Adult size
- 4.5 in (standard length, without the tail)
- pH
- 7.5 to 8.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 10 to 20 dGH
- Lifespan
- 8 to 10 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 75 gallon
48½ × 18½ × 21⅛ in outsideHow to keep electric blue haps
The electric blue hap is a Lake Malawi cichlid whose males turn a deep, electric blue; females stay silvery. It hunts small fish in the wild, so keep one male with two or more females in a 75 gallon or larger tank of hard, alkaline water, with peacocks and other haps of a similar size.
Diet: Carnivore: cichlid pellets, frozen mysis and brine shrimp. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Electric blue hap tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Petricola catfish
4.5 in · 30+ gal · 73–79 °F
Banded gourami
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–82 °F
Convict julie
5.1 in · 30+ gal · 75–80 °F
Paradise fish
3.5 in · 20+ gal · 61–79 °F
Saulosi cichlid
3.4 in · 40+ gal · 76–82 °F
Giant danio
6 in · 55+ gal · 72–79 °F
Three-spot (blue) gourami
6 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Firemouth cichlid
6 in · 40+ gal · 75–84 °F
Keep apart
Cardinal tetra: Adult electric blue haps eat fish under about 1.5 in; cardinal tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Green neon tetra: Adult electric blue haps eat fish under about 1.5 in; green neon tetras grow to 1 in.
Ember tetra: Adult electric blue haps eat fish under about 1.5 in; ember tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Chili rasbora: Adult electric blue haps eat fish under about 1.5 in; chili rasboras grow to 0.8 in.
Celestial pearl danio: Adult electric blue haps eat fish under about 1.5 in; celestial pearl danios grow to 1 in.
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: electric blue haps need 76 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
What an electric blue hap tank needs
A tank of 75 US gallons or more (such as the 75 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon QuietFlow Canister Filter 300
Rated by the maker for 55–75 US gal, which covers a 75 gallon electric blue hap tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Marineland Penguin PRO 375
Rated by the maker for up to 75 US gal, which covers a 75 gallon electric blue hap tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon Pro 200
Electric blue haps need 76 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding electric blue haps.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 76 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 75 gallon tank · Heaters for a 75 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common electric blue hap problems
- Fish small enough to swallow, including young mbuna, are eaten.
- Two males in one tank fight; keep one.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Sciaenochromis fryeri. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Electric blue hap The Evil Spartan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Petricola catfish Nerezza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Banded gourami Sandipan Das, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict julie Regani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Paradise fish André Karwath; edited by Muhammad, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Saulosi cichlid Gerard Delany, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Giant danio Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Three-spot (blue) gourami Peter Jung, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Firemouth cichlid H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Chili rasbora JoKrimmel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celestial pearl danio Cisamarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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