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Encyclopedia / African Cichlids / Utinta
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Variations

3 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Utinta

Cyprichromis leptosoma · Cyprichromis leptosoma, Cyprichromis, Jumbo cyprichromis

Peaceful; keep in a large shoal in a tall tank with calm Tanganyikans.

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11 cmAdult size ✓
24–27 °CTemperature ✓
8–9pH ✓
243 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Utinta is tropical.
  • Rift lake cichlids like utinta need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (24–27 °C vs 10–22 °C). No setting suits both.
  • Rift lake cichlids like utinta need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Utinta only grows to 11 cm.
  • Rift lake cichlids like utinta need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like utinta need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like utinta need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (8–9 vs 4.5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

51 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 ✓8 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 4–6 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful; keep in a large shoal in a tall tank with calm Tanganyikans.

Food

Fine flake, frozen brine shrimp and cyclops.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are much more colourful (blue and/or yellow); females are plain silvery-brown.

Health

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

Breeding

Maternal mouthbrooder (open-water shoal) · Moderate

Maternal mouthbrooder; the female carries the eggs and fry for up to about 4 weeks.

Pairing

Keep a shoal of 10-15 with more females than males; males display in mid-water and lead females to a spawning site.

Setup

200+ L tall, long tank with rock stacks at the sides, open swimming space, hard alkaline water (pH 8-9) and clean, well-oxygenated water.

What starts it

A big shoal, stable water, regular water changes and good feeding with small foods; males display in the open water above rocks.

Eggs

Small broods of 5-20 eggs, carried by the female for up to 4 weeks.

Raising the fry

The female releases fry after 3-4 weeks. Feed crushed flake and newly hatched brine shrimp; sort fry out as they grow.

Common mistakes
  • Keeping too few fish so males fight
  • Mixing with large boisterous cichlids
  • Poor oxygenation and overfeeding
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionLake Tanganyika
Rivers and lakesLake Tanganyika (rocky coasts)
HabitatOpen water above rocky slopes
Native rangeAbout 400 km across
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The story of the utinta

A slim, shoaling open-water cichlid from Lake Tanganyika that feeds on drifting plankton; males shimmer blue and yellow. 'Utinta' is a locality form name (smaller than other forms), not a separate common name for the species, and different forms should not be mixed.

Boulenger described this species in 1898, originally in another genus. It lives in large schools in open water, feeding on plankton. Males hold small 3-D territories in mid-water.

First described by George A. Boulenger in 1898.

  • It is a mouthbrooder that spawns in open water.
  • Males defend territories in the water column, not on the bottom.
  • Different locality forms have yellow or blue tails.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources