Electric Blue Ahli
Sciaenochromis fryeri
Cichlidae
About
The electric blue ahli is a striking open-water haplochromine endemic to the rocky coasts of Lake Malawi, where dominant males glow an intense metallic blue while females and subordinate males stay a plain silvery-grey. A committed piscivore, in the wild it hunts the young of other cichlids around rock mounds, so it must never share a tank with fish small enough to swallow. Robust and only moderately aggressive for a Malawi cichlid, it is best kept as a harem in a spacious, hard-water rock-and-sand setup rather than a soft-water community.
Care
Keep in hard, alkaline water (pH 7.8-8.4, high GH/KH) at 25-27 C in a tank of 280 L or more, at least 150 cm long, with open sand and rock caves. Best as a harem of one male to three or more females in a dedicated Malawi setup; give it robust, similarly sized tankmates and a secure lid.
Diet
Piscivorous carnivore that eats small fish and fry; feed a quality cichlid pellet plus frozen mysis, brine shrimp and krill. Avoid mammal meat and go easy on bloodworms to reduce the risk of Malawi bloat.
Tankmate compatibility
Possible with care (59)
Avoid (62)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.