Brichardi Cichlid

[fishprotector]

We have just set up a Brichardi species only tank (inspired by the one at the Blue Planet). We are using a Juwel 180 one metre long tank and have sand, a rock background and lots of rocks.

At the moment, we have four fish, two males and two females. They are all around 1.5 inches long. The slightly larger male and the two females swim around freely, whilst the second (smaller) male hides around the filter outlet. This is our first go with African Cichlids (normally more of a new world fan) and I was wondering if we have got the numbers right or do we need to add more females?

 

[markandhisfish]

hi , im not too up on tangs but this article should give you the info you need for keeping brichardi , hope it helps
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/n_brichardi.php

 

[fishprotector]

Thanks for that. has anyone else kept these and had any experience with male female ratio?

 

[bullit]

If hes feeding and can hide then he might be ok but sounds like hes been pushed up there by the other male. Just keep an eye on him for now.

 

[fishprotector]

Yes he seems to be eating, not quite as often as the others though. i will keep an eye on him. i can see a pair forming now aswell, they are swimming around together and being very cosy.

Yes he seems to be eating, not quite as often as the others though. if he was getting bullied, would increasing the number of females work with tangs or not? i can see a pair forming now aswell between the larger male and one of the females. they are swimming around together and being very cosy.

 

[bullit]

No i wouldnt add any more. Though you may get a little harem going and have a trio. You also could end up with two pairs. Common sense will tell you if its not gonna work out so id see what unfolds a bit further down the line. Do you have any pics? cheers

 

[Jinkz]

Yes he seems to be eating, not quite as often as the others though. i will keep an eye on him. i can see a pair forming now aswell, they are swimming around together and being very cosy.

Yes he seems to be eating, not quite as often as the others though. if he was getting bullied, would increasing the number of females work with tangs or not? i can see a pair forming now aswell between the larger male and one of the females. they are swimming around together and being very cosy.

You've just basically answered your own question mate

The moment you get a pair, unless you have either plenty of free tank space or a good few more Brichardis, any male seen as a potential threat will be pushed off to one side. I had one male dominate one whole side of a 300ltr tank and the only other fish he would tolerate in that side was another female who he ended up spawning with also. Assuming your pair have a suitable place to spawn you'll soon find yourself with upward of 40 very slow growing fry and you could easily be looking at around 70 - 80

In the end I netted all my adults including the breeding pair and took them back to the LFS. If not I'd have been overrun with fry. As it is I have around 50 very slow growing fry. They're now almost 4 months old and the largest is only 2.5cm long. No fish shop round my way will consider taking anything under 4cm so they'll be with me for a while yet

One other thing which happened with mine. The dominant male wiped out any other species he could get near. That included my Julies why I was not chuffed about. You're okay as it's a species tank but you'll either have to add more males to spread the risk of over aggression on any one fish, or leave just the breeding pair in there as your tank will be full soon anyway. Remember also, Brichardis grow very slowly and seeing as your submissive male is smaller than the aggressor, it'll take him a while before he even gets to the size where he may be in a position to challenge his dominance.

Hope the above helps...let us know how you get on

 

[fishprotector]

Thanks for that, all very useful advice. Not sure why I posted the bit about him eating twice . Thats what happens when you go on the forum on your phone with a tiny screen and try and change written text I guess! There is about 30kg of rocks in the tank so they have the option of a fair few caves to get jiggy in. I will keep you informed on the progress of the tank