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White-Tailed Brichardi

Blue-tail Brichardi ~ Graceful Lamprologus ~ Gracilis Family: Cichlidae

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Neolamprologus gracilis Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

  The White-Tailed Brichardi is absolutely one of the most elegant of the Lake Tanganyika cichlids!  

   Affectionately called the Graceful Lamprologus, the White-Tailed Brichardi is truly a graceful fish. They have slender bodies, delicate colors, and beautiful long trailing fins. They also have a decent temperament, making them some of the easier Lake Tanganyika cichlids to keep in a community setting. They are easy to care for as long as regular water changes are done.

   A community cichlid, the White-Tailed Brichardi is not as aggressive as other cichlids. They are generally aggressive toward those of the same species, but may tolerate their own genus. They can be kept in pairs or singly, or in harems that form a group of 6 or more. They may also be kept with some of the Sardine Cichlids, Goby Cichlids, Dickfeld's Julie Julidochromis dickfeldi, and Tropheus species. In fact this grouping is very attractive in a 55 gallon tank, as all have different swimming levels and breeding activities.

   The White-Tailed Brichardi will breed readily and are easy to feed as well. They should have shells for spawning along with rock work and some plants to help the fry survive. In the wild, it has been seen cohabiting with its close relative the Fairy Cichlid Neolamprologus brichardi. This is not suggested however, since hybrids can be formed.

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

Distribution:
   The White-Tailed Brichardi was described by Brichard in 1989. These fish are endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Africa, and are found at Cape Kapampa. They are planktivores and will eat from the open water, and will pick at aufwuchs as well. Aufwuchs refers to tough stringy algae that is attached to rocks.

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

Description:
   The White-Tailed Brichardi is an elongated fish with long fins that flow to a point. These fish are in a category called “fairy” fish due to their long flowing fins. They are mostly white colored with a slender white to light blue line under the eye, and their iris is split between blue and white. Unlike the Fairy Cichlid Neolamprologus brichardi, they lack the dark spots on their face. Their caudal fin, which is tipped in white is what earns them their name. It is unknown how long this fish lives.
   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 White-Tailed Brichardi grows to a length of 3.5” (9 cm).

Care and feeding:
   The White-Tailed Brichardi is basically a planktivore in the wild, eating plankton and crustaceans. In the aquarium they can be fed mysis shrimp, earthworm flake, frozen adult brine shrimp and once in a while spirulina. Other special food for carnivorous Lake Tanganyika cichlids are acceptable. It is suggested that you do not feed live foods and tubifex worms due to possible diseases and pathogens that may be transferred to your fish. Feed 2 to 5 small pinches of food a day in smaller amounts instead of a large quantity once a day.  A one-day-a-week 'fast' can also be beneficial. All fish benefit from vitamins and supplements added to their foods.
   A minimum 10 gallon tank for pair is suggested, with a 20 gallon for a group and 55 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
   The White-Tailed Brichardi should have shells for spawning along with rock work and some plants to help the fry survive. For example; in the foreground try Cryptocoryne species, in the middle ground use Swordplants that are the larger variety, and the very back can have Water Fern. For a different or varied look you can plant on the porous rock with such species as Anubias, Water Fern and Java Fern.
   Do water changes of 10% to 15% weekly, depending on 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 middle and bottom areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 10 - 13 dH
   Ph: 8.4 to 9.5
   Temp: 77 - 82° F (25 - 28° 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 White-Tailed Brichardi is a community cichlid and not as aggressive as other cichlids, but is still a cichlid none the less. They may be kept with some of the Sardine Cichlids, Goby Cichlids, Dickfeld's Julie Julidochromis dickfeldi, and Tropheus species. In fact this grouping is very attractive in a 55 gallon tank, as all have different swimming levels and breeding activities.
   They can be kept in pairs or singly, or in harems that form a group of 6 or more. They are generally aggressive toward those of the same species, and at times will kill any of their type that venture into their territory. They may tolerate their own genus, but this is not suggested since hybrids can be formed. In the wild, it has been seen cohabiting with the Fairy Cichlid N. brichardi.

Sexual Differences:
   No way to tell until adults, where the male may be a little larger.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The White-Tailed Brichardi has been bred in captivity. Purchase 6 or more juveniles and allow them to pair up. After a pair or a small groups of 3 or more has formed, remove the remaining White-Tailed Brichardi since the newly established pair will attack the others if they enter their territory. If left in the tank, these “exiled” fish may eventually be killed if they persist in going into the established territory.
   Provide the White-Tailed Brichardi with at least 2 or more shells, as this is their preferred spawning container. Females deposit their eggs in the shell and the male will then fertilize them. The parents both share the duty of guarding the eggs and fry. They will also allow older siblings to care for new spawns while they start a new generation. Siblings at only 1/4” long will attack intruding fish 10 times their own size! It is quite amusing to watch a tiny fry make a large fish back away.
   Fry can be fed de-encapsulated brine shrimp as well as crushed dry foods, although hatched or frozen baby artemia, and/or artemia/brine replacement foods are needed due to their high lipid and protein level. These levels contribute to improved survival rates and increased growth rates. Of course in a community tank, the survival rate of the fry may drop. It is a good idea to remove plecostomos and loaches as they will eat the babies and eggs at night. See the description of monogamous cichlids in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   The White-Tailed Brichardi is rather rare, but is occasionally available online or in fish stores, running about $11.00 USD for juveniles. 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

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