Love at first sight

[Orion]

Browseing around my LFS today and found a most interesting cichlid. N. Brichardi. I was able to keep my walet in my pocket however, at least for today.

This goes out to the cichlid geeks out there who might be able to help me out on this one a bit. I would love to keep these little guys, but what are youre alls comments and sugestions on them?

Being a Tanganyikan cichlid, I do know that they come from an environment with hard water with a higher PH. I dont really want to have to mess with the water chem a whole lot if I dont have to, but heres what Im holding out of the tap:

PH- 7.5
KH- 3
GH-6

The rock and cave formation I can handle, but the biggest available tank I can put them in right now is a 20 gallon. I have read that they are best in a species only tank, and that is fine by me, I think they are a beutiful fish. If a 20 gallon would even work, would a 20 long or tall be better?

My LFS does not get dwarf cichlids in very offen. Actualy this is the first time in 3 years I ever remember her having any type of dwarf species of cichlids. I would like to take advantage of this oppurtunity if I can.

Thanks-

 

[Somonas]

a 20 might work for a breeding pair but neolamprologus brichardi can get very aggressive in tight spaces.

As far as your tap water. Mine is about the same as yours, ph 7.6 KH 2 GH 4, I use Seachem Tanganykian Buffering salts.
Others report equal success with baking soda and epsom salt. Other people will clarify me but I think the idea water chemistry for Tangs is PH 8.6 - 9.0 KH 10 GH 12. thats what mine is.

 

[TaffyFish]

30 gallons is the most often quoted minimum for brichardi, the 20 long would be better than the 20 high, substrate area is what you need.

I am one of those who add bicarbonate of soda and epsom salts to add hardness and raise the pH. my tanks are at ph8.2 GH 15 KH 13, I also add Kent liquid trace elements.

brichardi are very intolerant of other species, I call them blue-eyed stormtroopers, particularly of other cave spawners like julies and leleupi. mine seem to have reached agreement with 2 large male ocellatus and the synos - but they are phenomenally good parents once the spawn is out of the breeding cave and onto the substrate outside - it becomes a no go zone for everything else in the tank. in a 20g you'll have to make it species only

are you able to get a pair or will you be starting with 6 juveniles until a pair forms? You will have to remove the others or pull the bodies out...so ensure you can tear down you rock formations with little danger to the fish as they are also tough to catch!!

best of luck with the Princess of Burundi, they are beautiful fish.

 

[Orion]

I dont like the way you said ' might work' Somonas. Makes me nervous.

So I am guessing the best way to get a breeding pair is to buy half a dozen of the little ones and wait for a pair to form, like most cichlids.

Is it very difficult to use the buffering salts? How do you use them, just premix the water in a 5 gallon bucket before a water change?

 

[Orion]

Taffy, yes i was going to have a species only tank. Would this alow me to keep more fish than just a single breeding pair in a 20? *wishfull thinking, come on, say yes!!!!


EDIT**
Ok, I am going to have to come clean here friends. Time for the truth to come out. As much as I really do like the brichardi and find there husbandy habits to be facinating, the truth is, I really want some German Blue Rams. I would sell my angel fish in a second to get a hold of these guys. About 2 and a half years ago is the last time I saw a local store have any, and then they only had one, an adult male. Well lived in my tanks long after that after dying of old age. *RIP Elwood* So yes, the brichardi would just be a substitute for what I REALLY want.

I wonder if there is suport groups for people like me??

 

[TaffyFish]

Here's my brichardi tank, just out of interest, please don't think I'm putting this up as a guide, we all do it our own way. The footprint is 33 x 14", approx 120 litres. Lots of substrate caves and rockwork which allows smaller juvenile fish to escape. At each end of the tank there's a large male ocellatus. The brichardi spawn in the cave in the middle, you can just see the male head on looking out. The first signs of spawning is the cleaning out, piles of substrate appear near the opening of the cave.

 

[Managuense]

blue rams? nah, i would go for the brichardi, they are a lot more hardy IMO and IME.

i have stated my personal experience with blue rams (a few agreed, some disagreed) in only getting a couple of months out of them.

no matter how many water changes i would perform these guys simply did not last long no matter how many times i tried.

unless you have soft water to begin with, i wouldnt waste my time with them over brichardi.

just my experience, others say that their rams are hardy.

up to you.

 

[TaffyFish]

Here's the female being "nice" with other juvenile brichardi, a julie and a small Zambian ocellatus

 

[TaffyFish]

this is the male (female in the background) with a juvenile leleupi longior (right centre) and a female ocellatus (moving out of picture left)

 

[Orion]

When we lived in TN, we had an awesome LFS for some of the more rare species of fish and I bought a pair of Juvie Blue rams, under an inch each, and they lived for almost a year untill we moved back up here. They survived the move itself, but did last to long afterwords. The adult we bought lived allmost a year and a half after we bought him.

Taffy, how many adult brichardi do you have in there? You said you added bicarbonate of soda and epsom salt to rase the PH and hardness, is this just something you add straight to the tank?

Sorry for all the beginer questions about the water chem. Never had a Tang tank before, and never really messed with the water chem that much before in any of my tanks. You guys are great, thanks so much.

 

[TaffyFish]

We are your support group Orion, have you not been doing your morning mantras?

"I want brichardi.....making up the buffering salts before water changes is easy...I don't want rams.....I want brichardi.....making up the buffering salts is easy.....I don't want rams..."

Just one pair in that tank....either you take the other fish out or you'll be pulling the bodies out.

 

[Orion]

Beutiful fish you have there Taff! Another question... How messy are these guys? What type of filter do you use?

 

[TaffyFish]

thanks Orion. glad to help.

There's just one pair of adult brichardi in there and a few juveniles left from previous spawns.

I have a few Tanganyika tanks so I prepare a water butt for water changes. I add 1 teaspoon each of epsom salt and bicarbonate of soda per 5 gallons and 1 teaspoon of Kent liquid trace elements. This raises my tap water (ph7.2, GH 10 KH 3) to the levels indicated above.

If I had just a 20g, I would mix the salts in a 2 or 3 gallon bucket before adding, don't add powder straight to the tank, ensure it's dissolved first.

Brichardi aren't terribly messy, though I compare them to goldfish rather than other tropicals!! I have a pair of Eheim 2210 internals in that tank, each has 2 sponges and some EhfiSubstrat in the small container. A 30% weekly water change keep nitrates under 10ppm.

 

[Orion]

So on the mixing, I could just add the salts to a little bit of water in a bucket just to make sure that they are disolved before going into the tank? Sounds easy enough.

Bicarbonate of soda, thats just baking soda right? And would just any epsom salt work?

And yes, I have not been doing my mantra's of the morning. Im a bad person I know, but its just so hard!!!! (and whats wrong with rams anyway?)

Is there anything special you feed the fry after they are newly hatched?

 

[Somonas]

Yep just baking soda.
And just epsom salt too. I add my salts a little differently to the tanks... I just add the salts dry when the tank is half full. and when I refill the tank they dissolve.
I dont think it really matters how you do it... I've had fish try and eat the salt crystals, it's funny to watch.

I think the key to success with ANY cichlid tank is to have LOTS of territories. ie, caves, rocks, crevices, and visual dividing lines. like a rock pile in the centre with valleys at the end of the tanks..
Jeez, a lot like Taffyfish's first pic

 

[Orion]

The more I read and the more questions I ask the more I want the brichardi.
DARN YOU PEOPLE AND YOUR AFRICAN CICHLID PROPAGANDA!!!!!!!!!!!


Anyway, thanks for all the help on this so far it is very appriciated.

Another Q, would just sand substrait be ok with adding the buffers, or would something more along the lines of crushed coral be good to have as well?

/me getting excited! The tank could be setup for them in less than 2 hours! Just move some existing fishies around, add the buffers and caves and VOLIA!

 

[TaffyFish]

sand would be just fine, in that tank I have mixed silicate sand with crushed coral and aquarium gravel, I also have a couple of large pieces of tufa rock...quite honestly it's a bit OTT and I think your pH would have to crash a fair way before their buffering capability could be utilised - by adding the salts your buffer would be safe as houses.

I feed my cichlids a mix of Hikari Cichlid Gold, Tetra Prima and Hikari Tropical Micro Pellets - I just crush it all down a bit more for the fry and place it with a turkey baster. On the weekends they get some frozen cichlid diet, it's not long before the fry are chewing on that along with the parents. believe me you'll be wondering what to do with them all, they'll spawn once every 3 weeks!

 

[Orion]

Sounds good Taffy thanks!

Went to the LFS, bought about 10lbs. of rocks to add to the ones I already have. She is going to hold the smaller ones till I pick them up on either monday or tuesday.

Also bought the stuff to use as the buffers, baking soda and epsom salt. I think I got the right kind of salt as I didnt see any others at wal mart. It is Magnesium sulfate. Just want to make sure Ive got the right stuff before I go putting it into a tank.

 

[TaffyFish]

epsom salt = magnesium sulphate, spot on!
baking soda = sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda

take it easy with the first fill, the pH might shoot up to give a reading of 8.6 or so at first but then settle back to 8.2 or 8.0 after a couple of days

....and so we have another african cichlidiot!

 

[Orion]

Originally posted by TaffyFish


....and so we have another african cichlidiot!

Hehe, well, it would seem as such wouldnt it.

Thanks for clarifying my more newbieish questions Taff and Somonas. Been a great help.

Im going to move the tank and its curent fish tommarow and start the water buffering to see how everything goes and get it stable before I bring home the new critters.