Male Brichardi Killed His Female

[glolite]

I've had a pair of brichardis alone in a 20g tank for about 2 months. Yesterday evening the female was lying dead on the sand with a chunk missing from her belly. I thought that they were geting along ok but obviously not. Is it worth me trying another female with him? If not, would he be ok with BNs and otos?

 

[freddyk]

Just placing a male and a female in a tank is risky - if their biological clocks, so to speak, don't match up then they won't get along and this is the result. The best way to get a pair is to introduce several fish and let them pair off on their own. Pleco's will generally be ignored, but breeding brichardi are known for leaving nothing else alive in the tank - their territories are bigger then the tank.

 

[glolite]

Hi Freddyk, thanks. I did start off with 3 females but those 2 paired off and I took the others back to the lfs. That's why I'm surprised that he suddenly turned on her. I'm tempted just to keep him now. If he's on his own would otos and BNs be ok? I've got some platys that need a bigger tank too. If he's not with a female would he be ok as a community fish?

 

[glolite]

Bump

OK let me put it another way. If I don't have a breeding pair, what are the best fish to keep with a single male brichardi please?

 

[freddyk]

In a 20 gallon tank there really isn't much - most fish I can think of would only work if the tank were larger. You can crowd him a bit with other single rock dwellers from Tanganyika (leleupi, julidochromis) - you won't get the behavior, but it would provide an assortment in the tank with pretty limited aggression.

I'd do something more interesting with the tank, perhaps a Ram setup or something in which the Oto's and BN would do well - just an opinion of course, I think I have a different idea of what I want out of the tank then many.

 

[glolite]

Thanks. Think I might swap him but not for rams as they don't like our hard water. Going to ponder this one for a while.
Just a thought, but would he be ok in my 45g with haplochromis ahlis or would they kill him? I have one male, three females and 6 babies. I do eventually intend to move the haps into my 90g as I've heard that they are ok with a single frontosa. Would you agree with this? I think my frontosa is female and is aroung 9 inches long. The adult haps are about 4-5 inches at the moment. Sorry to keep picking your brains but I want to get it right.

 

[freddyk]

I won't give you a straight answer on this one because I can't.
When it comes down to it we know cichlids can be unpredictable, and more so when we're dealing with mature fish. Technically the Brichardi can work with the Haps and the Haps can work with the Front, but because you're dealing with mature fish used to their own space, any attempts should be made with care. It helps to add them at night, and some find rearranging rockwork can help too. As a safety precaution I'd hold off on re-doing the 20 (while you deliberate what you want to do with it) and keep it running in case you need it.

As far as the 20 is concerned, have you considered shell dwellers?

 

[glolite]

Thanks again. Yes I will keep the 20 running and proceed moving with caution. If it works out then shell dwellers could be ideal!