Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Cichlids > Cichlids - Tanganyika Types > Dickfeld's Julie

Dickfeld's Julie

Brown Julie Family: Cichlidae

• Puzzles
• Postcards

Julidochromis dickfeldi Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

   The Dickfeld's Julie differs from the other Julies with its light brown coloring, so is also known as the Brown Julie!

   The Dickfeld's Julie not only differs in its coloring from the other Julies, but its body shape is a bit different. It has a larger dorsal fin and a more pointed snout. It is one of the smaller Julies, only reaching about 4". However it is not quite the smallest, its relative the Masked Julie at about 3" has that distinction. Its small size does make it easy to house in tight quarters and a 20 gallon tank is perfect for keeping a pair.

   They are moderate to easy to care for as long as weekly water changes are done to keep the water at optimal levels. They are somewhat shy and will stay in the rocks more towards the back of the aquarium, darting out to retrieve food. They will a define a territory with a crack or rock fissure as the center of their territory, and will stay very close to the rock structures of their defined territory. In a community cichlid tank the Dickfeld's Julie can be kept singly or in pairs, but will not tolerate other Julies. They can be kept with other Tanganyikan cichlids that are similar size. Provide them with a sandy or fine gravel substrate along with lots of rock formations. This fish will breed in captivity, and it is important to keep the different species of Julies separate to help prevent hybrid strains.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:
   The Dickfeld's Julie or Brown Julie was described by Staeck in 1975. They are found on the southwestern side of Lake Tanganyika in Africa, on the Zambian shoreline. They inhabit areas of rubble and rocks and use a crack or fissure in the rock for the center of their territory. They will eat drifting matter in the water, but mostly feed on crustaceans they pick from the rocks.

Status:
   This species is listed on the IUCN Red List with the status of 'LC', meaning 'Least Concern'.

Description:
   The Dickfeld's Julie or Brown Julie has a slender elongated body that is slightly different from most of the Julies. They have a larger dorsal fin and a more pointed snout. The body coloring can be a silver, a light brown/gold, or a blue sheen and there are three dark horizontal stripes on each side. The first stripe starts at the forehead, runs along the top next to the dorsal fin, and ends in the area just about where the anal fin begins. The second one starts just above and behind the eye, runs parallel to the top stripe, and ends about where the dorsal fin ends, with just hints extending into the top of the caudal area. The third stripe literally wraps around the fish, starting at the tip of the nose and ending at the caudal area. The forehead has 3 small horizontal stripes with the first sort of connecting to the top stripe, the second one right between the eyes, and the third one being a little dash right above where the 3rd body stripes meet. The fins are clearish with blue margins, or can be a clear blue color with more intense blue margins.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense “smells” in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being “sampled” for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to “smell” the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

Size - Weight:
   The female Dickfeld's Julie grows to a length of 4” (11 cm), with the male probably a little smaller.

Care and feeding:
   The Dickfeld's Julie is an omnivore. In the wild they will eat drifting matter in the water, but mostly feed on crustaceans they pick from the rocks. In the aquarium they can be fed flake, frozen foods, brine shrimp, Cyclopeeze, small pellets, or other special foods for Lake Tanganyika cichlids. Feed 2 to 5 small pinches of food a day in smaller amounts instead of a large quantity once a day. All fish benefit from vitamins and supplements added to their foods.
   A minimum 20 gallon tank for a pair is suggested, and 75 gallons or more for a community type tank. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. For freshwater an optional practice is to add 1 heaping teaspoon of salt per 11 gallons of water. This is considered to be a simple and natural remedy for wounds, minor fungal infections and film over the eyes of fish in transit. Using a marine salt (used for salt water fish) will add some trace elements. Provide them with a sandy or fine gravel substrate along with lots of porous rocks and/or clay pots and clay pot pieces forming caves and crevices. They will a define a territory with a crack or rock fissure as the center of their territory, and will stay very close to the rock structures of their defined territory.
   Do normal water changes of 10% to 15% a week, or more frequent changes depending on the nitrite/ammonia levels and stocking numbers. The Lake Tanganyika cichlids cannot handle large water changes very well unless the new water chemistry closely matches the water they are in. If a large water change is needed, changing 15% every couple of days should bring water back to normal. This inability to tolerate large water changes is due to Lake Tanganyika being very deep and the water tends to stay stable.
   These fish are susceptible to typical fish ailments, especially if water is stale and of poor quality and oxygenation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Water changes, not overfeeding or overcrowding, and observation along with feeding your fish the proper foods (thawing frozen food and adding vitamins) will keep them in optimum health.
   One common problem is Ich. It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F (30° C) for 3 days. If that does not cure the Ich, then the fish needs to be treated with copper (remove any water conditioners). Several copper based fish medications are available for Ich. Copper use must be kept within the proper levels, so be sure to follow the manufacturers suggestions. You can also combine increasing the temperature with an Ich medication treatment. A copper test also can be used to keep the proper levels.      

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in the bottom areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 8 - 12 dH
   Ph: 8.5 - 9.2 (but can tolerate high 7's)
   Temp: 73 - 80° F (23 - 27° C)

Lake Tanganyika is the second to largest lake in the world, thus contributing to a low fluctuation in Ph and temperature. Several things all Lake Tanganyika cichlids need are:

1. Stable temperatures kept within acceptable limits.
2. Lots of oxygen to survive. Lake Tanganyika is a very oxygen rich lake. Bubblers need to be going day and night, even if there are plants.
3. Avoid overfeeding and overstocking.
4. Do a 10-15% water change weekly.
5. Regularly check nitrates (no more than 25 ppm), Ph (less than 7 is not tolerated), total hardness and carbonate hardness.

Social Behaviors:
   The Dickfeld's Julie does well in a community cichlid tank and can be kept alone or as pairs. This fish is a community cichlid that can be kept with other Tanganyika cichlids that are similar size. Do not house with other Julies though, as they are intolerant of them. They are also aggressive toward those of the same species.
   If breeding them do not house with plecostomus as these fish will eat the fry at night. Once the parents are ready to spawn again, they will allow the older fry to help with raising their siblings if the tank is large enough. At this point, if the tank is not large or does not have many crevices in which to hide, you may want to remove the fry.

Sexual Differences:
   The Dickfeld's Julie are hard to sex as juveniles but once they pair off, a male and female pair becomes clear. Males are said to be smaller than the females.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Dickfeld's Julie has been bred in captivity. They are cave spawners so provide them with caves made from rocks and/or clay planting pots and/or pieces of slate, as they adhere their eggs to the “roof” of their cave. They are not ready to breed until they are a year old and young couples need practice to become successful parents. Buy 6 to 10 juveniles and put all of them in the tank you plan to use for breeding. Do it this way because if you move a newly established pair to a breeding tank, you may meet with failure. Once you have a pair the male will start to mark off territories. Remove the extras after a pair splits off unless you have a large tank and lots of rockwork. It is best not to rearrange the rocks or move any decorations around in the aquarium once they form territories. This can stress them out and will very likely break the bond a male and female have made. The reason for this is that part of their bond is connected to the “territory” more than to each other.
   The male will entice the female into a cave and their spawn will be from 35 to 50 eggs. Make sure there are a lot of crevices for the young to hide in and do not use plecostomus in the tank, as they will eat the young during the night. For a higher success rate, siphon out most of the fry when they are older and put them in a separate 10 gallon tank, leaving just a few in the tank with the parents. Feed the fry baby brine shrimp.
  Once the parents are ready to spawn again, they will allow the older fry to help with raising their siblings if the tank is large enough. At this point, if the tank is not large or does not have many places and crevices in which to hide, you may want to remove the fry. The fry are slow growers. It takes almost 4 months to get them to 1” in size. Raise the fry in a community tank of 60 gallons or more with other Tanganyikan cichlids of similar size. The fry can be damaged by nets, so be careful when removing them. See the description of monogamous cichlids in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Buy Dickfeld's Julie From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:
   The Dickfeld's Julie or Brown Julie is available online and often available in fish stores, ranging between $7.00 and $15.00 USD, depending on size. Purchase from a reputable dealer, due to hybridization it takes a trained eye to choose the correct color strain that has not been crossed.

Author: Carrie McBirney

Add your comment here!

Back to Cichlids - Tanganyika Types