Certainly the most enticing and conspicuous species from Lake Tanganyika, C. furcifer is famous for its dynamic, neon colors, and at 8-inches, it is a sight to behold! Females on the other hand are silver-bodied and a bit more elongated than males. The species was recently divided in two, creating the species Cyathopharynx foai. I will address both of these species in this single profile page because their differences are minor and in the aquarium their husbandry requirements and behavior are identical. In fact, many aquarists still refer to both species as the furcifer.
C. furcifer and C. foai are both featherfins from Lake Tanganyika. Their only real differences are that C. furcifer occurs in the shallower habitats of the lake and has lighter colors, while C. foai is found in deeper waters, possessing dark, neon colors. Some foai are nearly all black (e.g., Ndole Bay). Despite these minor differences, they were classfied as distinct species due to the fact that the two variations are often found in a single location, with overlapping habitats. The pictures to the left and immediately below are of C. foai while those further down the page are of C. furcifer from Ruzbia.
C. furcifer 和 C. foai坦湖的提灯类鱼。它们之间真正的差别在于：C. furcifer生活在浅水区，色彩比较明亮；C. foai发现在深水区，色彩深一些，象霓虹色。一些foai甚至是全黑色（比如：Ndole Bay）。尽管只有非常小的不同，他们仍然被认定为不同的品种。事实上，这两个品种常常在同一片水域中被发现，拥有接近的习性。左下的图片是C. foai，右下的图片是来自Ruzbia的C. furcifer。
These two species occur in the intermediate zone between rocks and sandy floors, at depths ranging from 3 - 20 m (9 - 60 feet). Females school together in the rocky regions while males stay close to their nests along the sandfloor, which are fiercely defended. Perhaps just as impressive as the colors of the furcifer are the goliath-sized crater-nests constructed by sexually active males. In the lake, these nests are found in great clusters (numbering from 50 to 100), separated from one another by only a couple of meters. These nests are quite elaborate, being 2 feet in diameter. The variety from Rutunga actually builds their nests on top of horizontal slabs in the lower region of the habitat.
A friend related to me an experience he had with his first furcifer: After a few months, the male's colors turned on and he began to build a large nest, which resembled a volcano. He appropriated all the sand in the tank to accomplish this task, leaving half the tank devoid of any sand. This friend proceeded to add another 50 lbs. of sand, which was quickly annexed, again leaving the other half of the tank bare. Again and again, this friend kept adding sand and the furcifer continued building his tower until it came to within inches of the water's surface!
Males are both boisterous and aggressive in defending their territories; therefore, these species need lots of room. The aquarium should to be at least 5 feet long, and preferrably 6 feet or longer. It's necessary that it be decorated with some large rocks so that females can get away from the male if need be. The substrate should be sand, and a darker shade is recommended to really bring out the colors of the male. The bottom area should be wide and open, with approximately 30 - 50% of the bottom being just sand. You'll find that harmony is best achieved by housing one dominant male, a sub-adult male, and five or more females. The younger male will encourage the dominant male to show off his colors more often than otherwise. Keeping several females will reduce the level of aggression any particular one will receive. If growing your furcifer up, three or four juvenile males may tolerate each other.
Even though this featherfin is boisterous, it should not be kept with other high-energy or aggressive fishes, otherwise males will lose their color and stop breeding. This fish needs to be the king of the tank in order to thrive. Tank mates should be no larger than 3-inches.
This fish readily takes to just about any type of food. Males can be kept in top condition with flake food alone, but if you want your females to spawn, they'll need something more than just flakes. Artemia, Cyclops, and Mysis are all recommended as supplementary foods that will help bring the females into breeding condition. In the wild, females feed on plankton or other fine material found floating in the water column. Males, however, feed on the algal diatoms found in the upper layer of the sand, which is scooped up and ingested almost completely. As a result, they pass copious amounts of fecal matter in a very short period of time.
Both C. furcifer and C. foai turn their colors on and off like a lamp. Chased males, for example, quickly turn off their color and blend in with either females or the background. When this fish's color is on, it's hot, but getting your male to light up is no easy task. This requires patience if you've purchased an adult. Adult featherfins in general don't handle the stress of shipment very well and require a considerable amount of time before they feel comfortable in their new settings. This can even take up to a full year - but hold on to your seat when they do light up! It's well worth the wait. Specimens that are raised in the aquarium, however, show their coloration at an early age.
C. furcifer和C. foai 能像开关灯一样调整他们的体色。比如，被追捕地雄鱼能很快的改变它们的色彩，隐藏到雌鱼群中或者黯淡的背景中。等到它重新开始展现色彩的时候，又会光芒四射，当然使雄鱼发色并不是很容易能做到的，这需要耐心，特别是新购入的成鱼。成鱼会因为运输产生紧迫感，并且需要很长一段时间才能适应新环境，甚至有可能是一整年。不过一旦它们展现出体色，你一定会目瞪口呆，觉得值得等待。样品鱼在鱼缸内非常显眼，而且很容易早熟。
Spawning occurs in typical fashion for a featherfin. The male will lead the female down to his nest by shaking. The female will deposit several eggs in the nest, with the male staying close to her side. As she turns around to pick them up, the male will pass over the nest, hovering about four inches above the eggs. As he passes, his elongated ventral fins drag over the sand. Their curious yellow tips catch the female's attention and she follows them, attempting to snatch them up (perhaps thinking they're eggs) and then scoops the eggs up in her mouth. The male fertilizes the eggs at the very moment that she picks them up.
Clutch sizes range from 15-40 eggs, and incubation lasts approximately four weeks. Brooding females should be separated from the male by removing them from the tank and placed in a nursery tank. Do this at night after she has fallen asleep, otherwise the onerous task of chasing her down with a net will be too stressful for both you and her. Brooding females should be isolated to eliminate the stress imposed by the boisterous male. This will help reduce the likelihood of her spitting or swallowing the eggs.
