Remarks: A harder-to-find cousin of one of our favorites, the Star Sapphire, is Placidochromis sp. Phenochilus Gissel. These larger Haplochromines lack in the blue speckled “chips” that the Sapphires sport, but they make up for it in their unique body colors – a gorgeous blue-green aquamarine. Their stripes may still be visible until full maturity, but the wait is well worth it. Juveniles begin developing colors around 2″, and females retain a remarkable amount of this color compared to many African cichlids.

Scientific Name: Placidochromis sp.

Common Name: Phenochilus Gissel

Max Size: 9″

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:

• Red Empress
• Protomelas sp. Steveni Taiwan
• Blue Dolphin

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