Do My Two New Brichardi's Have A Chance?

[Tiger Tiger]

I purchased two Brichardi from a store and I was pretty sure they were male and female but I was unsure. But what was quite evident they were related.
I just did not like the thought so I introduced another what I think are a pair (although again not sure) to the tank where the original two had been in for a week. No breeding had started yet so I thought it would be a good idea to try to get another gene in there.
Unfortunately I could only find small ones (about half the size of the originals) but decided to go ahead.

The result basically is bullying and pinning the newbie’s up around the internal filter and occasionally giving them a bump now and again. One of the originals stands guard like a sentry keeping them hi up in the corner of the tank.

They have survived 3 days now but I am wondering if they will ever mix and if the two originals breed will they be food fodder.

IE...Will they be excepted soon or left out for fresh food for the brood

 

[Colin_T]

I would remove the newbies because the bigger pr will continue to harass them and eventually kill them. In a big tank, say 4ft, they might survive for a while but eventually the bigger pr and their offspring will over run the tank and kill the others.

Most Brichardi sold in shops are related to each other. This is because people sell batches of young fish to the LFS and other people buy a couple from the batch. It happens to most cichlids and livebearers. The only way to mix the bloodlines up is to buy fish from different shops and hope they are unrelated. Then put a couple of unrelated fish together in a tank at the same time and hope they turn into a pr. But they are hard to sex so there is no guarantee you will get a male/ female pr.

 

[Tiger Tiger]

I did consider this but supposing the original pair are of the same sex? I can only introduce then some more. Which is what i have done. I could wait for six months with no off spring they will then be big so i definately will have no chance introducing.

I think it's a catch 22

 

[Tiger Tiger]

I have removed one into my Milawi tank but i can do nothing for the other. Although i have to say they seemed to have stopped bugging the one. perhaps they saw the two as a threat.

I just hope the one i placed in the milawi tank is not pregnant