African Cichlid | Brichardi Albino Cichlid

Scientific Name: Neolamprologus brichardi

Common Name: Lyretail Cichlid, Fairy Cichlid, Princess Cichlid

Adult Size: 4 - 5 inches

Life Expectancy: 8 - 10 years

Habitat: Lake Tanganyika, Africa

Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons

Ideal Tank Conditions:

• Temperature Range: 78°F
  
• pH Range: 8.0 - 9.0
• Water Hardness: 10 - 20

Temperament: Generally peaceful but can be mildly aggressive over territory

Diet & Nutrition: Omnivores – in the wild they feed on small crustaceans and invertebrates found in the biofilm of the rocky substrate in their natural habitat. Will typically accept fresh, live, and flake foods. It would be beneficial to maintain a well-balanced diet by providing them with high-quality flake food or pellets on a daily basis. It is best not to feed the Brichardi Cichlids only dry foods if you want to ensure their health and wellbeing. We recommend a diet rich in high-quality live meaty foods, as well as frozen and dry foods. To improve the food of these tiny fish, give them daphnia or brine shrimp, either alive or frozen. Include some vegetable material, such as spirulina or blanched spinach.

Breeding & Spawning: Among the most simple cichlids to breed in an aquarium. These fish spawn in caves. If you want to keep producing them, you must provide caves for them to lay their eggs within the tank. You could also keep flowerpots for spawning purposes.

Either purchase an adult Brichardi Cichlid pair that has already formed a bond or add a school of at least six to eight juvenile fish to the aquarium. A group of them will swim together before splitting up to spawn. They establish solid ties and are monogamous. The couples carry on breeding and raising their broods together for the rest of their lives. They take good care of their young and protect them for several months.

Gender: Males have a modest size advantage over females. The fin rays of males are longer than those of females. The skulls of the females are slightly more slender.