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Another
utaka (open water) species and - most probably - the last addition
in my tank. Copadichromis borleyi is a very beautiful fish and one
that I was looking for. Lately, I got such a specimen and, although
the magnificent coloration of the adult male is not yet shown, it is
still a beautiful fish. The adult male has a blue face and a maroon
side, coupled by the white border of the dorsal fin. A relatively
peaceful species requires a lot of swimming place and should better
be kept in a tank longer than 150 cm. May school with other utakas
if present in the tank. Large Haplochromis species are not the best
companion for this species because they are more aggressive. In
fact, when this fish was added in my non-mbuna tank, I had to turn
the lights off, and then keep a close eye on it to make sure it was
not eaten on the spot.
I
would like to make it clear to you. When a new fish sized 10 cm is
added to such a tank, it will either be chased by the small species
(Aulonocara, Nyassachromis, Copadichromis) or eaten on the spot
(Nimbochromis and Buccochromis). Finally, the fish was chased and a
bit bullied by the Aunolocara stuartgranti male and was almost eaten
by the Buccochromis nototaenia male which tried many times to get
it. Mbuna should be avoided for the same reason (they will not
eat it but they will definitely harass it a lot), unless a very long
tank is available (more than 200 cm) and both habitats are created.
This species may become aggressive if other fishes of the same color
combination are present in the same tank. In nature it feeds on
zooplankton but it will accept almost anything in captivity. The
female closely resembles the female of many common Malawi species
(Aulonocaras, Sciaenochromis etc.) therefore special care should be
taken to avoid crossbreeding. Since this fish is very unlikely to
become hyperdominant other males may crossbreed with its female.
Will grow to 18-20 cm (the male).
Minimum
tank size : 150 cm / 500 liters. Will fight with any blue -
colored fish in the tank (e.g. Sciaenochromis ahli, Aulonocara
stuartgranti, Nyassachromis boadzulu) |
