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Encyclopedia / African Cichlids / Electric blue hap
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Variations

2 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Electric blue hap

Sciaenochromis fryeri · Ahli, Electric blue ahli, Sciaenochromis ahli, Fryeri

Predatory toward small fish; fine with peacocks, haps and calm mbuna.

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17 cmBody length, without tail ✓
24–28 °CTemperature ✓
7.8–8.6pH ✓
304 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Electric blue hap eats animals up to about 8 cm. Neon tetra only grows to 2.5 cm.
  • Rift lake cichlids like electric blue hap need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • Electric blue hap eats animals up to about 8 cm. Cardinal tetra only grows to 3 cm.
  • Rift lake cichlids like electric blue hap need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • Electric blue hap eats animals up to about 8 cm. Black neon tetra only grows to 3.2 cm.
  • Rift lake cichlids like electric blue hap need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like electric blue hap need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 24 °C.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like electric blue hap need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

56 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓10–25 dGH
Group size ✓4 or more
Temperament ✓Semi-aggressive
Swims at ?All levels
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 5–8 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Predatory toward small fish; fine with peacocks, haps and calm mbuna.

Food

Quality cichlid pellets and flakes plus frozen mysis, krill and chopped fish a few times a week.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Mature males are an intense metallic electric blue (blue shows from about 5-7.5 cm); females are much plainer, grey with a slight blue sheen, and smaller. Juveniles cannot be sexed.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Maternal mouthbrooder (harem) · Moderate

Maternal mouthbrooder: the female carries the eggs for about 3 weeks without eating, then releases free-swimming fry. Keep one male with several females.

Pairing

One male with 3-5 females in a large tank with open sand; males guard a sand scrape or cave.

Setup

400+ L tank with a sand floor, rockwork with caves and open swimming space, hard alkaline water (pH 7.8-8.6) and strong filtration.

What starts it

Large water changes, varied protein foods and a dominant male displaying in a sand nest or cave.

Eggs

About 30-70 eggs per spawn, carried in the female's mouth for about 3 weeks.

Raising the fry

The female releases fry after about 3 weeks. Feed crushed flake and newly hatched brine shrimp; sort by size often as fry grow unevenly and larger siblings eat smaller ones.

Common mistakes
  • Tank too small for adults
  • Keeping with small fish that become food
  • Not sorting fry by size
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionLake Malawi
Rivers and lakesLake Malawi (rocky coasts)
HabitatRocky habitats
Native rangeAbout 300 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the electric blue hap

A popular Lake Malawi hap that in the wild is a fish-eater, hunting especially the young of other cichlids. Long sold as 'Sciaenochromis ahli' or 'Electric Blue Ahli'; Ad Konings named it S. fryeri in 1993, honouring the biologist Geoffrey Fryer.

This fish was sold for years as 'Haplochromis ahli' until Konings showed it was a separate species and described it in 1993. It honours Geoffrey Fryer, a pioneer of Lake Malawi fish research. Males are a vivid electric blue.

First described by Ad Konings in 1993. Named for Named after British biologist Geoffrey Fryer.

  • It was long misidentified in the hobby as 'Haplochromis ahli'.
  • It preys on small fish, including young mbuna.
  • Some males show a white blaze on the top of the dorsal fin.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources