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.

因为动感，霓虹一样的色彩，8英寸范围内都光芒四射，C. furcifer无疑是坦湖中最迷人和显赫的品种。另一方面，雌鱼则展现为修长的体态和银质的体色。最近蓝波被细分为两个变种：C. furcifer和C. foai。我将在这篇单独的文章里阐述这两个品种，因为这两个变种的差别非常小，水族箱里的管理方式，行为和习性都很相同。实际上，许多水族书籍仍然把这两个品种都作为furcifer来看待。

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.

这两个品种生活在暗礁和沙砾层的中间地带，大约水深在3 – 20米（9 – 60 英尺）。雌鱼会在岩礁区域群游，而此时，雄鱼会沿着沙底筑巢并激烈的争夺地盘。相比furcifer艳丽的颜色而言，给人印象更加深刻的是雄鱼在发情时会构造巨大的如弹坑般的巢穴。坦湖里一对亲鱼构造的这样弹坑般的巢有很多（数量在50到100个）。这些巢很精致，直径约2英尺。来自Rutunga的地域变种在水平的岩石板建造它们的巢穴，他们栖息在比较低一点的水域中。

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!

一个朋友想我讲述过他第一次饲养furcifer的经验：饲养了几个月以后，雄鱼的颜色开始展现出来了，而且，他开始构造了一各类似火山口的巢穴。它挪用了几乎缸里所有的沙子来完成它的工程，缸里几乎有一半的地方没有沙子了。这位朋友立刻向缸里添加了50lbs.的沙子，但几乎很快，那一般新添的沙子又被移走。就这样，这位朋友不断添加沙子，那条furcifer则不断的修建它的“堡垒”，直到这个“堡垒”离水面只有几英寸。

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.

在保卫领地的时候，雄鱼是即暴躁又好斗的。所以，这个品种饲养的时候需要很大的空间。水族相至少需要5英尺长，最好能有6英尺甚至更长。水族箱内必须有比较复杂的岩石造景供雌鱼躲避。底部必须铺有沙子，暗色的沙子比较能体现出雄鱼艳丽的体色。水族箱底部应该开阔，沙子的覆盖范围应该达到30% - 50%。雌雄最好的比例是一条占统治地位的成年雄鱼，一条雄性亚成鱼，5条或者更多的雌鱼。雄性亚成鱼可以刺激雄性成鱼更加充分的展现自己的体色。饲养几条雌鱼是为了分散雄鱼对此鱼的攻击。如果同时喂养大，3至4条的雄性幼鱼是可以相互容忍的。

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.

这种鱼非常的狂暴，而且不能和其他的活泼的或者是好斗的鱼混养。否则，雄鱼将失去鲜艳的体色，停止进食。如果想要这种鱼生长良好，它必须是水族箱内的占优势地位的鱼种，同缸混养的鱼体长最好不要超过3英寸。

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.

furcifer蓝波差不多可以接受任何类型的食物。雄鱼可以一直投喂薄片饲料，对雌鱼来说如果要繁殖仅仅投喂薄片饲料是不够的，丰年虾，水蚤和糠虾类可以作为辅助性饵料。野生环境下，雌鱼捕食浮游生物和微生物，雄鱼则以沙地上的硅藻为食，并且几乎是连根拔起直接吞咽下去。在很短的时间内，这些食物就会被消化掉并排谢。

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.

提灯类的鱼繁殖都有着典型的动作。雄鱼会抖动着引导雌鱼来到巢里。雄鱼靠近的时候，雌鱼会产下一些卵，并且作圆周运动，然后用嘴含起这些卵。此时，雄鱼在离这些卵的4英寸高的地方盘旋，它拉长它的后半身，几乎要在沙子上拖行。它的卵斑会吸引雌鱼的注意力，并跟随卵斑游动。雌鱼试图将这些卵斑也含入嘴内（可能它以为这也是卵），而她嘴里面的卵也会被翻滚甚至抛出，雄鱼趁机射精，雌鱼将在把它们含起来。

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.

含卵的数量一般在15 – 40 粒左右，孵化期约4星期。含卵的雌鱼应该和雄鱼隔离并被单独饲养到产缸中。最好在夜里等到雌鱼睡着的时候捕捞，否则它会因为被网捕捞而产生紧迫感，你也会耗时耗力。如果不分开饲养，狂暴的雄鱼会干扰雌鱼导致它吞咽或者弃卵。