Brichardi and Neons???

[mandi0321]

Hey guys,

Quick question. I was looking at the aquariums in the show off forum and saw the most beautiful Brichardi. I recently set up a 55 gal tank for my two elderly neons and a pleco. I haven't moved them to it yet from their 5 gal as the new tank hasn't yet begun to cycle. My question is, would the Brichardi eat my neons??? Will it get along with my pleco? Are they easy to find? Thanks!!!

 

[Endgame319]

The brichardi you saw were probably mine .Unless someone else posted brichardi pics that I dont know about:?. If you want to see some better pictures, look at the second page of my "surprise brichardi fry" thread in the freswater general discussion forum. Brichardi can be especially aggressive when breeding. I had a tank with four adults, and the dominant male killed everything else in the tank besides his girlfriend. I dont reccomend keeping brichardi in such a large tank because they really limit what else you can put in there. They should really have a species-only tank between 20-30 gallons. To answer your questions, No, your brichardi will not eat the neons, but it might show agression towards it. Some brichardi are more peaceful than others. It will likely get along with the pleco, but again its not a sure thing. And IME brichardi are uncommon but not too hard to find.

 

[Menagerie]

I would NOT classify brichardi as good for a peaceful community. I bought two--didn't even think of them breeding and they took over the tank. Now they have their own 20 gal tank to raise their fry. They also perfer harder water with a pH of at least 8.

 

[krap101]

lol i posted some brichardi lol. and i didnt know how to make the pic smaller from the camra and i had to go into paint and to the lil arrow and make it bigger . so mine looked bad.

i think if you have a big enough tank and have other fish from lake tang that might work. but if you have a couple in there they'll probally get agressive. mine are pretty agressive towards the SAE's but leave the pleco alone. (the SAE's are 2 fast for em and have an excelent range thingy) (like a bird when u step near it, it bolts)

 

[Sara]

Isn't pH the biggest issue here? I thought that Brichardi needed a pH of at least 8.0, but that Neons prefer more acidic water (under 7.0)? I keep my neons in 7.6 pH, but I don't think I'd be able to go any higher...

 

[Menagerie]

Isn't pH the biggest issue here?

Not really, with fish being tank raised, they will get used to local water conditions. However, for breeding and more sensitive fish (I would count neons as sensitive) pH does play a role in the fish's health.

Hmmm, this is a huge contradiction.

Brichardi can do well at pH 7.5 and so can neons, BUT the differences in temperament are the deciding factor IMO.

 

[mandi0321]

Thanks everyone! I guess I'll just stick to the neons for awhile since they are elderly and would probably not like being bothered.

 

[Menagerie]

You are a conscientious fish keeper--kudos to you!