Remarks: While female Borleyi “Namalenje” will be mostly gray with dull blue fins, males will be yellow with a blue head and fins.

Copadichromis borleyi are a fairly large species of hap but actually tend to be on the more peaceful side for an African cichlid as long as tank mates do not fit in their mouths. Being an open water species, plenty of swimming space should be provided alongside some rock piles for each male to set up territories if being kept with females. Fish belonging to the Copadichromisspecies can hybridize so it is not advised to keep male borleyi with females of other species and vice versa. Some report that borleyi surprisingly tend to leave plants alone, especially if fed a high-quality and varied diet, unlike most African cichlids so they are an excellent choice if one wants to have plants in the tank as well.

Scientific Name: Copadichromis borleyi“Namalenje”

Common Name: Red Fin Namalenje

Max Size: 6″

pH: 7.5-8.4

Hardness: Hard

Temperature: 74-82

Aggressiveness: Aggressive

Region of Origin: Lake Malawi, Africa

Captive Bred or Wild: Captive Bred

Diet: Flake or pellet

Compatibility: Victorian Haps, Malawi Haps, Malawi Peacocks, Synodontis

Tank Mate Options:

• Blue Dolphin
• Aulonocara baenschi Sunshine/Yellow Benga
• Star Sapphire