Are lyretail cichlids aggressive?

What is a Lyretail cichlid?

This species, also known as The Lyretail Cichlid, Fairy Cichlid, and Lamprologus/Neolamprologus brichardi, is one of the most beautiful and popular Tanganyikan cichlids in the aquarium hobby!

What is a fairy cichlid?

Originally the Fairy Cichlid was known as the ‘Princess of Burundi’. Other names they are known by today are the Fairy Cichlid, Brichardi Cichlid, Lyretail Lamprologus, Lyretail Cichlid, Brichardi Lyretail Cichlid, Princess cichlid, Princess of Burundi, Fairy cichlid, and Brichard’s Lamprologus.

Where do cichlids live in a tank?

This cichlid mostly inhabits the middle and upper level of the water column, so it can often be kept (in a spacious tank) with Tanganyikan shell dwelling species that inhabit the lower areas of the water column. This species is small in size, but it is very territorial with its own kind and similar fish that enter its territory.

What is a Brichard’s lyretail Fairy cichlid?

The Brichard’s Lyretail Fairy Cichlid ( Neolamprologus brichardi ), also known as the Princess of Burundi Cichlid, is a small rock-dwelling cichlid that is native to the shoreline areas of Lake Tanganyika in Africa. It is extremely popular in the aquarium hobby.

What do brichardi cichlids eat?

The Brichardi Cichlid is an omnivore and will feed on crustaceans, invertebrates and plankton in the wild. In an aquarium, this cichlid will accept a variety of flakes, dried and live foods.

What does a fairy cichlid eat?

The aquarium does need regular water changes. They Fairy Cichlids are omnivorous and in the wild it feeds on small crustaceans and invertebrates found in the biofilm of the rocky substrate as well as swarms of plankton drifting in the lake water. In the aquarium it will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods.

What is a brichardi cichlid?

Neolamprologus brichardi, also known as Brichardi cichlid, is an elegant, graceful fish with a white-spotted lyre-shaped tail and fins. This enchanting species is hardy and easy to breed.

Are fairy cichlids hard to breed?

See the description of breeding monogamous cichlids in: Breeding Freshwater Fish: Cichlids. The Fairy Cichlids are fairly hardy in a properly maintained aquarium. These cichlids are susceptible to typical fish ailments, especially if water is stale and of poor quality and oxygenation. One common problem is Ich.

Are there any cichlids in Lake Tanganyika?

Of course there are other cichlids in Lake Tanganyika that are quite different. Click here to read about Frontosa which is a mouth brooding cichlid from Lake Tanganyika that has behaviors and requirements that are very different from those mentioned for the fish on this page. Here is an adult Brichardi about 3″ long.

What kind of fish can I keep with a Princess cichlid?

This cichlid p rimarily stays in the middle and upper levels of the water column, so if you have a sizable tank, you can keep the Princess cichlid with other Tanganyikan shell dwelling breeds that are bottom-dwellers. In a spacious aquarium, you could have a community of small to medium-sized cichlids such as Cyprichromis and Synodontis catfish.

What makes African cichlids unique?

These fish are simply beautiful, active and incredibly unique in both shape and behavior! The African cichlids contain some of the most colorful of all freshwater fishes. The cichlids are an enormous family of fish and they offer the widest variety of body shapes and behaviors of all freshwater fishes.

What is the scope of Lake Tanganyika cichlids?

The scope of Lake Tanganyika cichlids includes the most unique and most costly fish in the world! Small fish, give or take around 3″ in length, they live close to the shore in shallow waters. Currently there are five recognized species in three genera. The Frontosa C. frontosa is still another very popular cichlid species.

Can You get Wild Tanganyika fish?

On a side note, Most Tanganyika fish have been tank raised and will usually adapt to different Ph levels using a slow drip acclimation method. The chances of getting Wild fish are very rare, unless you order your fish from a supplier.

How many fish are in Lake Tanganyika?

Lake Tanganyika is the Largest lake in Africa, and the second largest freshwater lake in the world. It’s home to over 250 Cichlid species, and over 150 non-Cichlid species. With so many fish to choose from, why not replicate this beautiful work of nature?

What to feed Lake Tanganyika cichlids?

What to feed Lake Tanganyika Cichlids: Pellet / Flake foods. They are omnivores and will also accept small live food. What not to feed them: Any meat that comes from mammals.

Where do Tanganyika cichlids like to live?

Like all rift valley cichlids, the Tanganyika cichlids generally like to be homed in a rocky environment however, unlike Lake Malawi cichlids, there are many different shapes and sizes of Lake Tanganyika Cichlid.

Can cichlids live with plants?

Some cichlids are extremely active “diggers”, or their diet is herbivore, so most plants have few chances to survive in your tank. If you love plants, those species aren’t the best addition to your new tank. Most cichlids are quite aggressive, either conspecific or towards any other fish, e.g. when maturing.

What are the different types of cichlids from Lake Tanganyika?

Many cichlids from Lake Tanganyika, such as species from the genera Altolamprologus, Cyprichromis, Eretmodus, Julidochromis, Lamprologus, Neolamprologus, Tropheus and Xenotilapia, are popular aquarium fish due to their bright colors and patterns, and interesting behaviors.

What is happening to Lake Tanganyika fish?

Lake Tanganyika fish can be found exported throughout East Africa. Major commercial fishing began in the mid-1950s and has, together with global warming (limiting the habitat of temperature sensitive species), had a heavy impact on the fish populations, causing significant declines.

What makes Lake Tanganyika unique among the East African Great Lakes?

Apart from the cichlids, Lake Tanganyika is unique among the East African Great Lakes in having the by far highest proportion of endemic and morphologically diverse genera in groups of organisms other than cichlids ( Salzburger et al., 2014 ).