Yellow Blaze - Z Rock

Care at a glance

Overview

The sulphur-head hap is a mostly peaceful Malawi cichlid for a rocky, hard-water tank. It suits a keeper with a little experience. The sulphur-head hap is named for the male's breeding dress. The same yellow to orange band across his head gave it the old trade name red-top. Outside of display he can dial that color back.

Caring for the sulphur-head hap

Keep sulphur-head haps as a harem of one male with three or more females, in at least 53 gal (200 L). The harem spreads the male's attention during spawning and stops a single female from being harassed. Build rockwork with caves over a sandy floor, with open sand lanes between the piles.

Keep the water hard and alkaline, with high KH and GH. Hold it at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.6 to 8.8. Stability matters more than an exact number, so aim for steady readings. Feed a carnivore-leaning diet of live and frozen foods, and avoid the spirulina-heavy diets sold for mbuna.

The sulphur-head hap is mostly peaceful and stays near the bottom, but it is territorial and will eat small fish. Skip tiny community tank mates and avoid boisterous mbuna.

Males color up with a neon blue head and a yellow to orange blaze, while females and juveniles stay plain silver. Females also stay smaller than dominant males, at about 10 to 12 cm. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, and the female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth until they swim free. Breeding is a moderate challenge.

Good to know

The sulphur-head hap, Otopharynx lithobates, is a hap in the family Cichlidae.

In the wild

The sulphur-head hap is endemic to Lake Malawi in Africa. It lives over the southern rocky areas of this hard, alkaline rift lake. It is a rock-dwelling fish and is hardly ever seen in open water.