Albino Brichardi Cichlid

<p> </p> <p>The average adult male is 4 inches and the average adult female is 3 inches. This species has a light brown body, white tipped lyre shaped fins, a dart stripe along the lower part of the gill with a yellow spot on the gill cover, blue eyes and a blue trim under the eyes.  To keep this species in captivity, the aquarium should have water pH between 8.0 and 9.0 and water temperatures ranging from 75.2ºF to 78.8ºF. It should also have a sandy substrate with lots of rocks and caves. They are peaceful except during breeding when they get territorial and aggressive, so it is best to keep them in a species tank, however,  if the aquarium is large, they can be kept in a community aquarium with Cichlids that occupy different areas. Nevertheless, it is best to avoid keeping these fish with species from the same genus to avoid hybridization. They can be kept single, in pairs or in a group although keeping in a group is recommended.</p>

<p>These fish are omnivorous. In the wild they feed on plankton and invertebrates in the substrate’s biofilm. In an aquarium they can be fed with flakes, pellets, live and frozen food. The best diet would be to feed them mainly with live or frozen food and to only feed them dried foods and vegetable matter every once in a while.</p>

<p>It is difficult to determine sex in these fish. Nevertheless, males seem to be larger and have pointy longer fins than females.</p>

<p>These fish swim in groups but when the breeding season comes they will form pairs and separate. The female will deposit her eggs in caves or in spawning sites she previously dug. Fry will hatch 48h to 72h after fertilization, during this time the parents and the group are very territorial and protect the fry. After 3 days the fry will leave the spawning site and will start exploring their surroundings, once they are fully grown, they will remain in the group and help protect territory and guard the younger generations. This means, it is possible to have many generations in a single group living peacefully together. If the group starts growing too much and there are too many individuals then the females will start to lay less eggs and the group may even start eating the fry. To breed this species in an aquarium the water temperature should be raised to 77ºF-86ºF.</p>

<p>This species can be found in Lake Tanganika. They inhabit rocky substrates in the shoreline.</p>

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