Advice About New Additions

[tenohfive]

I've got a 90L setup with a couple of medium sized catfish and a male brichardii. Fluval 4+ filter, been setup for a few months. The Fluval has to sit diagonally as upright it would stick out of the tank which creates a sort of cave. Next to that I've got a load of stacked rocks to create about 4 caves that one of the cats lives in and that my brichardi runs off to on the rare occasions something spooks him. Further left theres a 12 inch piece of bogwood and a java fern. I've used the bogwood as a prop and created two small caves in the far left corner. I've popped 6-8 shells of varying size around the left side of the tank.

At the weekend I added a cylindricus (which has colonized one of the caves near the filter) and two ocellatus shellies. The brichardi is very aggressive and whenever he see's the shellies he tends to go for them, which has resulted in one hiding to the left of the tank (near the caves I built with them in mind) and the other sits in the filter cave area. I've added shells since, but am getting a little concerned about them. They both seem healthy enough, I'm just wondering if they're likely to take over the caves or if theres something I can do to make the tank better suited to them?

 

[kj23502]

Brichardi are pretty aggressive. Here's some info:

"It is my opinion that the best method for keeping Neolam-prologus brichardi is in a species only tank. A tank as small as 15 gallons can be utilized, though between 20 and 35 gallons would be more appropriate. By keeping this fish on its own, not only do you limit the chance they will eliminate their tankmates, but their graceful finnage will likely grow much better.

That is not to say that it is impossible to keep this fish with other Tanganyikans, but one must be careful in selecting tank mates, and the aquarium best be at least 90cm long (36"), with a 120cm (48") tank being preferable. Some commonly available fish that should be compatible would include; Neolamprologus leleupi, cylindricus; Altolamprologus calvus, compressiceps; Julidochromis marlieri or regani.

There is, however, a bit of a secret to making this work. Any other tankmates must be much larger then the brichardi to begin with, and they must establish their territory in the aquarium first. Purchasing an adult pair of calvus and juvenile brichardi would be an example of a situation that would normally work out. There is one important caveat: in a tank of less then 120cm (48") you would be limited to two pairs of fish when including brichardi in the mix. "

And the article it's from...
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/n_brichardi.php

I know you don't have a breeding pair, but it's a male and your tank is not that big.

 

[tenohfive]

True. Theres alot of other things I've seen (including from cichlid forum) that suggests they can live quite happily with shellies etc. Perhaps I've just got a particularly aggressive male. I might see about adding a female, because I'm reluctant to find a new home for him - he's a bully but he's got alot of character too.

Adding a female more likely to divert his attention?