Home · Cichlidae · Happy
Happy (Mylochromis ericotaenia) — Cichlidae

Happy

Mylochromis ericotaenia
Family: Cichlidae

The Happy (Mylochromis ericotaenia) is a freshwater fish of the family Cichlidae that grows up to 21 cm.

Length
20.6 cm
Water
Freshwater
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Diurnal
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Not eaten

Description

The striped hap is a cichlid from Lake Malawi in East Africa. The species grows to about 21 cm and has an elongate, silver-blue body with an oblique dark longitudinal stripe, characteristic of the genus Mylochromis. As a bottom-oriented hunter it lives over sand and transitional bottoms and probes the sand with its mouth for small invertebrates and insect larvae. It is a mouthbrooder. The fish is harmless to humans.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Happy?

The Happy has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly blue and shows a horizontal stripes pattern.

Where does the Happy live?

The Happy lives in fresh water and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Happy get?

The Happy grows to a maximum of about 21 cm.

Is the Happy dangerous to humans?

No, the Happy is harmless to humans.

Is the Happy edible?

The Happy is not usually eaten.

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →

All data

Identification

Dutch name
Streep-haplochromine verified
English name
Happy verified
Scientific name
Mylochromis ericotaenia
Family
Cichlidae

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
20.6 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Blue sourced
Pattern
Horizontal stripes sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Terminal sourced
Lips
Thick / fleshy sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Freshwater sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Solitary sourced
Territorial
No sourced
Activity
Diurnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
Yes sourced

For anglers

Edibility
Not eaten sourced
Fishing method
Bodemvissen met natuurlijk aas (worm, garnaal of vis) op of vlak boven de bodem. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Mylochromis

More from the family Cichlidae

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →