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Background 
Tanganyika is a lake with endless variety, from the tiny ostracophils that inhabit abandoned snail shells and the strangely-shaped rockdwellers to the species that create huge sand nests and those which form massive hierarchical groups to protect each other and their young. But one genus, and particularly one species, fills a niche in nearly every type of large Tanganyikan community: Cyprichromis leptosoma.
These open-water schoolers, which use the middle and top of an aquarium and stake out their territories often without apparent markers, are a solid fit in a thousand possible Tang tanks. Gentle enough for Neolamprologus brevis but rarely endangered by any species that can't simply swallow them, Cyps are ideal and authentic dithers. They're also worth keeping completely on their own merits. The males of the species are as stunning as any Tropheus or Xenotilapia, for one. The "jumbo" types, which may eventually be split into a separate species in the genus, are soft, spring colors: lavender, pastel blues, yellow, and black. The smaller varieties are bright and bold, primarily in yellow and blue.
Care
Cyps are carnivores and, like many Tanganyikans, are unlikely to do their best on plain pellet or flake, even the very best. I believe strongly in a good, solid staple, and the benefits of NewLife Spectrum have won me over, but even if the staple diet isn't lacking nutritionally, there's certainly a behavioral aspect of diet that needs fulfilling. Any staple should therefore be supplemented wih live, frozen, or freeze-dried foods; particular favorites are live brine shrimp, frozen daphnia, and freeze-dried cyclops.
Active schoolers, even the smaller varieties deserve plenty of room to swim, at least 4'(1.3m), and, if there are other species in the tank, enough height to avoid them. A standard 55 gallon tank allows for a nice group of non-jumbo cyps, although the narrowness of the tank is unfortunate.
One behavior worth taking into account when choosing a tank is vertical territoriality. For the fishkeeper with plenty of room and deep pockets, a long-enough tank which also has unusual height, around 30" or more, may allow for males to create territories above each other as well as to either side.
Jumbo varieties will need more schooling room; 5'(1.5m) may suffice but the more common 6'(1.8m) length is a smarter choice, especially given that Jumbos are often more aggressive and territorial than their smaller fellows.
The schooling nature of this species should not be underestimated. Danios and Neons may be oft tortured by people who keep them in twos and threes but Cyps will not be as forgiving of stressful loneliness. Six is a bare minimum; any tank will have endlessly better success with a dozen or more individuals.
Breeding 
Cyps are impossible to sex as juveniles, or nearly, and they are impossible to mistake as adults: the colorful ones are the males. When keeping jumbo varieties, a ratio of two females to every male helps maintain a low-aggression tank, but with the gentler non-jumbos, this is less important. Many people maintain with them a one to one ration, or even more males than females, though that cuts down on fry production as well as causing potentially excessive conflict.
The basic spawning behavior of Cyps is fascinating. In the wild, thousands of individuals, including, Konings reports, different varieties and even species, gather in a huge shivering school to "lekk." This openwater spawning is quite unusual; the females release eggs and then gather then up in their mouths, all the while sucking up milt to fertilize them. It is possible that the spots on the end of the males' ventral fins are egg spots like those of Featherfins but many ichthyologists doubt this hypothesis.
The entirety of this behavior is done in open water, very different from the ypical mouthbrooding system in which the eggs are laid on a surface and gathered up. However, some Cyp owners report a secondary behavior in aquaria by which subdominant males pass on their genes; as tired females settle into hiding spots to rest, these males may appear and entice the females to snap up additional milt, which helps prevent unfertilized eggs as well as spreading out the gene pool. It seems unlikely that this technique would be necessary in the wild; among thousands of fish, a lower-ranked male is likely to be able to sneak in and milt with the rest.
Cyp wggs are extremely large compared to the fish that produce them; they can be as large as Frontosa eggs, in fact. Combined with the small mouth size of the mother, this means fewer fry per spawn, nearly always fewer than ten. Younger, smaller females may hold no more than three or four.
The fry are held for around three weeks. Stripping is unpopular with this species and for good reason; their delicate jaws are easy to break, and, more importantly, their delicate sensibilities should not be overlooked. Failing to strip may mean a few lost spawns but stripping a young mother may mean a future failure to hold, period.
Once released, fry will head for the surface, so floating plants, whether real or fake, make an ideal addition to the Cyprichromis tank.
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Scientific name: Cyprichromis leptosoma
Common names: Sardine cichlid, Slender cichlid, Cyp
Synonyms: Paratilapia leptosoma, Limnochromis leptosoma
Origin: Lake Tanganyika, Africa (throughout lake)
Niche: Openwater, middle-top
Optimal pH: 7.6+
Optimal GH: 10-20 degrees
Optimal temperature: 75-78F (23-26C)
Adult length: Jumbos 7"(17.8cm), non-jumbos 4"(10cm)
Diet: Carnivore, micropredator
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