Common name/s - Brichardi

Scientific name - Neolamprologus brichardi

Family - Cichlidae

Origin - Lake Tanganyika, Africa

Maximum size - 12cm

Water Parameters - Hard water, pH 7.5 - 8.5, temperature 24 - 28 degrees

Care - These fish are extremely easy to keep, even outside their prefered water parameters (given above). Ideally they should be kept with other Tanganyikan Cichlids in a community tank.

Feeding - Will happily accept frozen, dried and live foods.

Sexing and breeding - Juvenille males and females of similar appearance. Mature males have elongated fin rays on the anal, caudal and tail fins. In healthy specimens there males are more colourful.

These fish are extremely easy to breed, often taking over a community aquarium due to their rapid increase in numbers. Eggs are laid on the underside of caves or in shells and are of a pale blue colour. It is not uncommon for fish to produce another clutch of eggs directly after the first has hatched, particularly if there are young from previous clutches to assist in the protection and rearing of the fry. These fish can successfully rear the fry of their own accord in a community tank with no special treatment from the aquarist.

Adult Male Brichardi