Brichardi beh. Need advice ASAP

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JJJ333

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Feb 24, 2014
Messages
3
Hello. I'm new to this community and also new to dwarf cichlids. I purchased some Brichardi fry about 6 months ago. I only got 3 of them as I was just not sure whether I would keep them alive and since they are new to me. They are in a 30 gallon aquarium. My biggest concern is that two of them seem to have grown... to around 2" (which is my second concern) and the other one has not grown as much. The other one is also darker colored and appears stressed, I think (dark eyes and stays in the corner most of the time). Today I did some more research and discovered that while my tank is staying about 72*, they actually need 78*-84* I remedied this (but only today) by switching out the heater that I had in there with another that I have more control over. Today they are 'out' more. The two that look healthy have been staying in caves quite a bit. Usually the one is in one cave and the other is in one right beside it but sometimes I see them both go into the same cave. Since I've turned the temp up and they're coming out more, I'm definitely seeing some aggression between them and the small one. I was under the impression that maybe the smaller one was male or female and the other 2 were the opposite but now I am wondering if the 2 healthy ones are a pair and they're picking on the 'third wheel'. What do you think? Should I relocate the guy and see if he does better alone or in a community tank? :fish2:
 
Which species of Brichardi are you working with? There are actually several types of Brichardi and some are not dwarf species.
 
Hello. Well to be honest I'm not sure. The lady at the store just called them fairies and said that they only get about four inches. They were just fry when I bought them (not sure how old). They are grey with white 'rims' and their eyes are now looking blue and the two bigger ones are showing the black bar by the eye. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow. The parents had already been sold and I was on vacation when I bought them so don't even really know where I got them. :/
 
Thank you. I'll keep you updated. I'm super excited because when I got home tonight I noticed that she has built the sand up in front of her cave so there is a narrow entrance that she has to turn sideways to get in and out. I'm just almost sure they have spawned.
 
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