Neolamprologus brevis

[kcl_jmo]

Hi all,

Interested in any information regarding Neolamprologus brevis. What are they like to keep in terms of personality and visual appeal, hardiness? Just tell me about your set up, routine and experience with them. Did you start with a single pair? And how do you get on with letting them breed?

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I've kept and bred many Lake Tanganyika shell dwellers. Other than water parameters and the requires empty shells they are fairly easy to maintain. Water parameters are crucial though, being endemic to Lake Tanganyika they need a pH of around 9 and very hard, alkaline water. If you're unable to supply those water parameters don't consider them. However it is relatively easy to create those conditions using "Cichlid salts" and buffers and they aren't all that expensive either.

You will be fascinated by their behavior. Provided an appropriate aquarium with a sand substrate and empty snail shells, they will spend hours moving sand one mouthful at a time and grabbing the shells with their mouths and swimming hard to move them. In a short time they will move and bury shells to their liking, leaving only the opening of the shells exposed.
Maintenance is pretty easy, they appreciate large water changes, as do most cichlids.
Breeding is pretty easy provided you have both sexes present.
What may not appeal to you is what to do with the copious amounts of fry produced. They are kind of a pain to get out of the shells, then you also have the work of removing they fry. If left alone they will overpopulate your tank shortly, not as bad as guppies or other live bearers, but eventually you would have dozens of fry in with the parents.

Personality wise shell dweller are little bull dogs. I've had males attack and bite my fingers while cleaning their tanks. You can barely feel it and it's sort of cute watching them be fearless and attack your finger like a yappy chihuahua.

 

[AJ356]

I've not kept Brevis, but I have kept other Tanganyikan cichlids. The only thing I would slightly disagree with is that there is no reason, I believe, why they can't flourish at a pH the high 7s or 8. I would certainly argue that 8.0 is good for them to thrive.

I checked the website I have the most trust in, as agreed by many of here, Seriously Fish, and they give a pH range of 7.5 to 9.0, but for other fish in the same family, they say 8.0 and above. I just would not want you think if you don't have a pH of 9.0 that's it's a deal breaker. From your water quality report your general hardness was 15 degrees which is good for Brevis.

The key thing for me, is yes, give whatever Fish you are getting, the closest to ideal water parmaeters as possible, but make sure it's sustainable for your family long term. Changing pH levels and hardness does not always go to plan. It's a commitment level above the standard commitment level with fish keeping.

I'm guessing your pH is around 7.4 to 8.0, I don't think I saw it on your water report.

I never found brevis to appeal colour wise, but I love their shape and behaviour

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I've not kept Brevis, but I have kept other Tanganyikan cichlids. The only thing I would slightly disagree with is that there is no reason, I believe, why they can't flourish at a pH the high 7s or 8. I would certainly argue that 8.0 is good for them to thrive.

I checked the website I have the most trust in, as agreed by many of here, Seriously Fish, and they give a pH range of 7.5 to 9.0, but for other fish in the same family, they say 8.0 and above. I just would not want you think if you don't have a pH of 9.0 that's it's a deal breaker. From your water quality report your general hardness was 15 degrees which is good for Brevis.

The key thing for me, is yes, give whatever Fish you are getting, the closest to ideal water parmaeters as possible, but make sure it's sustainable for your family long term. Changing pH levels and hardness does not always go to plan. It's a commitment level above the standard commitment level with fish keeping.

I'm guessing your pH is around 7.4 to 8.0, I don't think I saw it on your water report.

I never found brevis to appeal colour wise, but I love their shape and behaviour

There is a good reason. It's because for millions of years they've evolved to live in Lake Tanganyika with a pH of 9.
Would you keep discus in water with a high pH? Of course not, they aren't adapted to take it.
What is with the idea you can take any fish and drop it in any water and expect it to look normal, behave normal, and live a normal life span? It's simply not true. Look at the environment these fish come from. They are perfectly adapted to their environment, not your tap water.

 

[AJ356]

The Discus example is a bit extreme. No one is saying to keep brevis in soft water or a low pH. I do agree that lake tanginyika is known to have a pH of between 8.5 and 9. It's just rare for me to see someone say you shouldn't keep Brevis if you don't have 9.0 pH.

Ultimately, I would aim to keep my fish in the correct pH, so no argument with you on the principle. If Brevis need pH 9.0 to thrive, then that's what it should be. We try to give the right conditions for the fish to thrive, not just swim around and live.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

The Discus example is a bit extreme. No one is saying to keep brevis in soft water or a low pH. I do agree that lake tanginyika is known to have a pH of between 8.5 and 9. It's just rare for me to see someone say you shouldn't keep Brevis if you don't have 9.0 pH.

Ultimately, I would aim to keep my fish in the correct pH, so no argument with you on the principle. If Brevis need pH 9.0 to thrive, then that's what it should be. We try to give the right conditions for the fish to thrive, not just swim around and live.

How is the discus example an extreme? It's parallel. It's the same thing. A responsible keeper wouldn't keep discus in high pH water, nor would they keep Tanganyikan cichlids in 7.5 pH water. There is a range though, if the OP can get the pH to 8.4 - 8.6 they should be fine.

 

[kcl_jmo]

I've not kept Brevis, but I have kept other Tanganyikan cichlids. The only thing I would slightly disagree with is that there is no reason, I believe, why they can't flourish at a pH the high 7s or 8. I would certainly argue that 8.0 is good for them to thrive.

I checked the website I have the most trust in, as agreed by many of here, Seriously Fish, and they give a pH range of 7.5 to 9.0, but for other fish in the same family, they say 8.0 and above. I just would not want you think if you don't have a pH of 9.0 that's it's a deal breaker. From your water quality report your general hardness was 15 degrees which is good for Brevis.

The key thing for me, is yes, give whatever Fish you are getting, the closest to ideal water parmaeters as possible, but make sure it's sustainable for your family long term. Changing pH levels and hardness does not always go to plan. It's a commitment level above the standard commitment level with fish keeping.

I'm guessing your pH is around 7.4 to 8.0, I don't think I saw it on your water report.

I never found brevis to appeal colour wise, but I love their shape and behaviour

It is on the report, just easily missed. But yes, mean is 7.48. Ranges between 7.2 and 7.8, on the measurements taken by the waterboard.

 

[kcl_jmo]

I get the picture re pH, understood. There certainly seem to be fish that are more adaptable to changes in water parameters but I'd got the impression shelldwellers were on the more "fussy" side.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Seachem, Fritz, and others sell Lake Malawi/Tanganyika salts to help raise pH and buffer the water. There are also substrates made from arogonite which will help ad well. Then there is always crushed coral. It's much easier to raise hardness and pH as opposed to lowering hardness and pH to suit your fishes needs.

 

[anewbie]

I've not kept Brevis, but I have kept other Tanganyikan cichlids. The only thing I would slightly disagree with is that there is no reason, I believe, why they can't flourish at a pH the high 7s or 8. I would certainly argue that 8.0 is good for them to thrive.

I checked the website I have the most trust in, as agreed by many of here, Seriously Fish, and they give a pH range of 7.5 to 9.0, but for other fish in the same family, they say 8.0 and above. I just would not want you think if you don't have a pH of 9.0 that's it's a deal breaker. From your water quality report your general hardness was 15 degrees which is good for Brevis.

The key thing for me, is yes, give whatever Fish you are getting, the closest to ideal water parmaeters as possible, but make sure it's sustainable for your family long term. Changing pH levels and hardness does not always go to plan. It's a commitment level above the standard commitment level with fish keeping.

I'm guessing your pH is around 7.4 to 8.0, I don't think I saw it on your water report.

I never found brevis to appeal colour wise, but I love their shape and behaviour

The focus should not be PH but gh and kh.