This includes main river channels, backwaters, floodplains, lakes and lagoons, but only a few of the species have been recorded in fast-flowing waters.

[2][3] Although all will take most types of small fish, there is a level of specialisation: S. altus is nocturnal or crepuscular, similar to its main prey, the elephantfish.

[7] Conversely, S. robustus has declined drastically in its native range due to overfishing, leading the IUCN to rate it as critically endangered.

[10][11] A partial solution to the S. robustus complex has been to recognize jallae as its own species,[1][8] instead of the traditional treatment where it was considered a subspecies of S.

[12] Additionally, Sargochromis (the "smallmouths"; found in the same overall region and mostly feed on invertebrates) has been considered a subgenus of Serranochromis,[2] but today it is generally recognized as a separate genus.