Copadichromis geertsi is a small to medium-sized cichlid, growing to a standard length of 12.8 centimetres (5.0 in), which shows two, occasionally just one, clear spots on the sides.

The males are dark in colour with the upper body varying from light blue to yellow towards the head and on the dorsal fin.

It can be distinguished from other members of the genus Copadichromis by the two spots, the colour of the breeding males being black with a pale blue to yellow flash on its head and back.

The territorial male digs out the sand from underneath the rock, piling it up and using it to construct a semicircular wall which surrounds the spawning site.

[4] After the females have mated they mouthbrood the fertilised eggs for 30–36 days[3] and when they are ready they move into shallow water where join the schools of juvenile utaka which are frequently found above nests of kampango (Bagrus meridionalis), where they release the free swimming fry.