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Fairy Cichlid

Lyretail Lamprologus - Brichardi - Princess of Burundi Family: Cichlidae

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Neolamprologus brichardi
(Now: Neolamprologus pulcher) Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

   A hardy and good looking cichlid, the Fairy Cichlid makes an ideal Tanganyikan Cichlid for the beginner!  

   The Fairy Cichlid was one of the first African cichlids imported for the aquarium hobby. Today it is also known as the Lyretail Lamprologus or the Brichardi Cichlid, and was originally called the 'Princess of Burundi' when first imported in the early 1970's. It is moderately easy to care for as long it has the proper sized aquarium and the right tank mates, and will eat a wide variety of aquarium foods. It has a very pleasing coloration and is not shy about swimming out in the open.

   These are a schooling fish that pair off only to breed. They can be kept in a species tank, or a group of these fish can be kept with other durable species in a good sized aquarium. They may scrap a bit with each other (which keeps them quite busy!) but then they are not inclined to quarrel with others.  They like an aquarium with lots of rock formations and caves for retreating. Plants are not essential though they do not harm them, nor do they burrow.

   Though the Fairy Cichlids spend a good deal of their time spawning, they are a secretive shelter spawner. You may not even know they have spawned until you see small fry darting about. A pair of Fairy Cichlid will spawn again and again. The older fry will help protect the younger ones, thus various ages of fry will be present in the same tank. This is an example of "stepped breeding".

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

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Fairy Cichlid was described by Poll in 1974. These fish are endemic to Lake Tanganyika and are found in the northern part of the lake. The nominate form is found in Burundi with color morphs occurring at Tanzania. The species name, brichardi, was derived from Pierre Brichard who set up a collecting station for Tanganyikan cichlids in 1971.
   Originally the Fairy Cichlid was known as the 'Princess of Burundi', other names they are known by today are the Lyretail Lamprologus and Brichardi Cichlid. They inhabit rocky coastlines and swim in large schools, but will form monogamous pairs to spawn in caves.

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

Description:
   The Fairy Cichlid is a graceful fish and has a very pleasing coloration. They have a subdued light brown body with white tipped fins. There is a dark stripe running from the eye along the lower portion of the gill with a yellow spot on the gill cover. The dorsal fin is lyre shaped and they develop long flowing filaments on all unpaired fins. They have brilliant blue eyes.

Size - Weight:
   The Fairy Cichlid grows to a length of 4 - 5” (10 -13 cm), generally larger specimens in home aquaria.

Care and feeding:
   They Fairy Cichlids are omnivorous and will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. In the wild they will eat swarms of plankton when available but primarily eat microorganisms; small crustaceans and invertebrates. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food or pellet everyday. Regularly supplement these foods with brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or daphnia. Feed 2 to 5 small pinches of food a day in smaller amounts instead of a large quantity once a day.  This will keep the water quality higher over a longer time. A one-day-a-week 'fast' can also be beneficial. Of course, all fish benefit from added vitamins and supplements to their foods.
   For a species only tank, a minimum of 15 gallons (though 20 or 35 gallons is better) is suggested. A larger tank, 50 gallons or more, would be required if mixing with other species. They need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. Provide a sandy to very small sized substrate, and they need a lot of rocks and cave formations. Plants are not essential though they do not harm them, nor do they burrow. Subdued lighting is also preferred.
   Do normal water changes of only 10% to 20% a week, or more frequent depending on the nitrite/ammonia levels and stocking numbers. The Lake Tanganyikan cichlids cannot handle large water changes very well unless the new water chemistry closely matches the water they are in. This inability to tolerate large water changes is due to Lake Tanganyika being very deep and the water tends to stay stable.        

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

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 10-20 dGH
   Ph: 8.0 to 8.5, wild caught specimens prefer the higher Ph.
   Temp: 72-77° F (22-25° 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 Tanganyikan cichlids need are:

1. Stable temperatures kept within acceptable limits. Anything under 72° F and over 86° F for too long is not tolerated by many of these fish (for ich, a few days at 86° F is acceptable according to one author).
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 10-20% 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 Fairy Cichlid is a fairly non-aggressive community fish. They can be kept in a smaller species only tank or in a larger aquarium with other durable fish. However they are avid spawners and breeding pairs will establish a territory and defended it together. This fish is also very protective in defending their fry. They don't burrow or disturb plants.
   If kept in a community type environment, the tank mates need to be much larger with their own established territories. It is best to introduce the Fairy Cichlid last. Some cichlids they can be kept with are others of their own genus such as the Lemon Cichlid Neolamprologus leleupi and the Cylinder Cichlid Neolamprologus cylindricus. Other species include some of the Altolamprologus genera, such as the White Pearly Calvus and the Compressed Cichlid; and the Julidochromis genera such as Mariner's Julie and the Convict Julie. It is best to avoid housing them with the African cichlids from Lake Malawi or Lake Victoria.

Sexual Differences:
   These fish are difficult to sex. Although it is hard to tell, the male has a more pointed dorsal fin and the tip of the caudal fin is longer.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Fairy Cichlids are egg layers and form nuclear families. Considered a monogamous cichlid, they will pair up only during spawning and will school otherwise. The female prefers spawning in caves or sometimes in areas with rocky rubble, and will lay over 100 eggs. Both the parents and older juveniles will care for the young. See the description of monogamous cichlids in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   The Fairy Cichlid or Lyretail Lamprologus is available from time to time. They are found both online and in fish stores ranging from $10 - $30 USD, depending on whether they are juveniles or adults.

Author: David Brough, CFS and Clarice Brough, CFS

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Latest Comments
Make sure you don"t put a channel catfish with this fish. I've heard that you shouldn't have cichlids with a channel catfish. It will love it if you put african roots in your tank. amos jr. 2007-11-24
We have a mated pair that spawn every month or so. They're kept in a lightly-stocked 30 Gallon cube tank with rocks, aquarium sand & dense shells. The shell area is now exclusively reserved for the "family", other fishes are pushed out quickly. Several of the fry have grown to 1-2 centimeters and take care of the newer, smaller fry. Very family oriented fish. Easy to feed & care for and they seem to have a great personality. Anonymous 2006-01-18
I just got a brichardi and it is swimming all over the place and likes to hide behind the plants Blaze 2005-11-22
Some of the coolest comments:
A friend gave me two adolescent brichardi because they were nipping the fins off of her other two brichardi. I put them in my community tank and they quickly became very bossy. I removed them from my 100 gallon & put them in a 10 gallon tank, gave them a conch seashell and boom within 2 weeks they had at least 50 tiny babies. She keeps them in the shell the first few days after they hatch. Nearly two months later Ive got around 200 babies; five fry or so. Incredible parents and beautiful fish. Lisa Schmitz 2004-10-09

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