Brichardi

Question
Richard, I was at a local petshop and seen some of these and they were smaller than most other cichlidz and I was wondering if I can put them in a tank with my other fish. The other tank has angelfish, gouramys, mollies, guppies and neon tetras and some big orange fish called a parrot I think.

Answer
Hi Randy

Well let me correct your first problems, then I'll give you some info on the Brichardi. You need to get your Neons and Guppies out of your current tank immediately or you will soon notice they have disappeared. Second, you need to get the Blood Parrots away from the Angels and Mollies. I'm assuming that the Angels, Gouramis and Blood Parrots are very small as the reason you haven't missed the Guppies and Neons or ran into any other trouble thus far.

To keep ALL of your current fish alive, healthy and happy, you're going to need 3 tanks.

What I would do in your case is the following:

Neons and Guppies can go together and need a tank with other small, peaceful fish.

Angels, Mollies and Gouramis can go together.

Blood Parrots should be put in a tank with other mild Cichlids like the Kribensis, Severum, and Keyhole. Large Gouramis and Tiger Barbs can also go with any of these.

And absolutely NOT! The Brichardi cannot go in a tank with any of your current fish or ANY tropical fish for that matter. And I certainly don't recommend them for beginners.

Brichardi is an African Rift Lake Cichlid from Lake Tanganika. They need temperatures between 74-79 and a high pH of 7.8 - 9.0 In most cases, you'll need a pH buffer for the water. I use Cichlid sand designed for Rift Lake Cichlids. Their tanks also need lots of rocks with caves for hiding places. The rocks have to be carefully placed in the tank to prevent cracking the bottom. A lot of time, planning and care are required for the Rift Lake tank. I don't recommend you consider any of these fish at this time.

I'm sorry if you got much more than you asked for here, I'm trying to help you prevent current and future disasters.

I do hope that I've been helpful to you, good luck!

Richard