Haplochromis sp. Blue Bar
- Common name: Unknown
- Location and Lake collected from: Hippo Point Lake Victoria
- Approximate size: 3.5 – 4 inches
- Food: Will eat brine shrimp, flake, daphnia, spirulina, mosquito larvae, and mine have occasionally eaten some Java Moss. I have not tried pellet food with them.
- pH: 7.6 – 8.2
- Temperature: 75 – 82 degrees F.
- Breeding behavior: Mouthbrooder. Males chase the females and this increases right before spawning time. My males are extremely aggressive and I have had to separate them from my females. They like to have rocks to hide in. I kept 2 males together without much trouble. It is better to have more than 2 females for each male. Females brood for 12 – 18 days with a brood size between 15 – 20 fry for a 2.5-inch female.
- Care of the Fry: The fry can eat crushed flake food, baby brine shrimp, and other small foods. They do well with several small feedings a day. The fry is not picky about their water conditions. Most spawns can be kept in a 10-gallon tank up to an inch in size.
- Tankmates: The only other fish I have had any luck keeping mine in with is Labidochromis sp. Hongi, the Blue Bars are one of the more aggressive of the Victorian Cichlid Species I have.
- Tank size: I kept 1 male and 4 females in a 40 gallon cube (24x24x18) aquarium.