could i keep anything else with my brichardi's?

[krap101]

like other fish from lake tang? or is my tank 2 small

 

[TankGirl]

If you have a spawning pair of brichardi (not sure how many you have, and can't remember what size tank this is) they will "take over" even larger tanks, believe it or not. I have found them hard to find tankmates for, unless you have only one brichardi, or more than one of the same gender, then I would definitely recommend sticking with other Lake Tan species.

 

[krap101]

oh i got 2 in a 29 gallon. they havent mated yet frmo what i can see.

 

[riftlake_kid]

TankGirl is right, breeding brichardi can be very nasty. i just prefer to keep a pair alone in a 20 long or 25 gallon by themselves. if u have a 4 ft. tank or larger u may be able to get away with a pair and tank mates. even a 4 ft. might be trouble for a pair with tanks mates. Brichardi r one of the few neolamprologus i only keep singly in mixed communities. i have seen pairs command 4 ft. tanks. with the right species that can fend themselves well they could be housed with a pair in a 4 ft. but keeping them singular u can put other fish with them much easier depending on how big your tank. i would recommend atleast a 36" tank for a brichardi plus other cichlids. some compatable fish are: Julidochromis Marlier, J. Regani, N. Caudopunctatus, Altolamprologus sp., and several other tangs a lot of not too small Neolamprologus species.

 

[krap101]

my tanks 30", 12", 18"

 

[fishstixs05]

I have 2 birchardi in a 20 gallon with a group of neo. multifasciatus and a julie. transcriptus, and they get along fine.

 

[Madame_X]

If you have a spawning pair of brichardi (not sure how many you have, and can't remember what size tank this is) they will "take over" even larger tanks, believe it or not. I have found them hard to find tankmates for, unless you have only one brichardi, or more than one of the same gender, then I would definitely recommend sticking with other Lake Tan species.

I agree with this completely. My brichardis paired off very young and promptly took over the entire 55 gallon tank. Attempts to rearrange the decor were futile. Once they reached sexual maturity, they killed our male pseudotropheus polit (which by all accounts should have been the most aggressive fish in our tank).

Now none of my other cichlids will come out of hiding. Although not ideal, I ended up moving all the fish in my 12 gallon Eclipse so I could put the brichardis in it. It is somewhat smaller than what most recommend as a minimum but they never really seemed to swim side-to-side all that much except when harrassing the other fish, and I just can't set up another tank right now.

I had always read that brichardis were semi-aggressive when compared to other cichlids. I certainly did not find this to be the case!

 

[TankGirl]

Right, Madame_X - they are often listed as compatible with a wide range of Africans, and not very high on the aggression list, but I would say that, discounting obvious successful situations like fishstixs05, they are in general referring to single specimens. It is amazing what a pair can do to a tank! They will always be one of my favorite cichlids of all time, though, and a species-only tank of them, especially with a brood, is a marvelous sight.

For you, Krap101, I would say if you have two fish in a 29gal I would wait and see if you have a pair. If not, you might be able to get away with another cichlid - great suggestions from riftlake_kid. I am partial to the altolamprologus calvus, if you can find them.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Brichardi aren't really "aggressive": however, they are HIGHLY protective of their offspring, which often leads to dead tankmates. I wouldn't add any other fish to that 29 gallon, Krap101. A breeding pair of brichardi will fill that up in no time. If you don't have a pair, you could always try to add a few more, let them pair off and then remove the others.

I'm curious if Fishstix's brichardi are spawning?

 

[fishstixs05]

no, they havent bred, not sure why...

 

[Madame_X]

no, they havent bred, not sure why...

Maybe you have two males or two females, which would explain why they're getting along with their tankmates...

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

Could someone post a pic of a brichardi?

 

[fishstixs05]

No, I doubt they are both M or F. I got 4 to start out with, and they killed one and I had to remove another. Also, one is reasonably larger and more colorful, and they started at the same size.
Oh and cheezysquirrelz, look at krap101's avatar, that is a birchardi.

 

[krap101]

yeah. its endgames . cant get a decent pic of mine. and ones about 3/4 the size of the other. and one has blacker blotch thingys on the gills