# Neolamprologus brichardi stocking question - 125 g



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Hi there,

I'm going to be stocking a new 125 g (6 foot) tank and considering focusing on Neolamprologus brichardi. I've read other threads here about not stocking other species with these very aggressive fish but those discussions have usually related to smaller tanks.

Any thoughts on whether I could have at least one other species in the tank considering they'd be sharing 125 gallons? If yes, any recommendations for choices to consider?

Thanks


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

They can be mixed- but generally it's best to fully establish the other species before adding brichardi. I have bred J. marlieri and brichs in a 55gal, but other species that might work are adult calvus, J regani, N. leleupi, etc- other similarly sized Lamps with attitudes. I would not try cyps, shellies, sandsifters or featherfins.

When stocking this tank, I think it's wise to keep in mind that brichardi will hunt and kill at night when other fish are sleeping. So- think of species that don't sleep in the open, and make sure to provide plenty of nooks and crannies for fish to hide in.

Aquascaping will be key to making this work- Distinct territories (rocks+caves) separated by at least 8" of open sand will help keep the brichs closer to home. In my experience, site breaks are useless, but open sand is an effective barrier.

HTH! :thumb:


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks for the detailed suggestions, Triscuit!


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## axelfoley (Mar 11, 2010)

looking forward to reading more about your 125 zimmy. i'm planning a 90g n. brichardi only colony right now, and can't find too much about large brichardi colonies


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I too am interested in this. I am setting up a 5 ft 120. I was thinking Chal. Brichardi. To have an all Brichardi tank...lol


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

I kept Lepidiolamprologus nkambae in with brichardi... I think any of the larger Lepidiolamps would work.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

I'm keeping t. sp. temporalis shell with pulcher daffodil in six feet of space. I had to add a divider to allow the n. pulcher to get established as they were being dominated by the temporalis. Once established, they now keep to their territories, no issues other than an occasional standoff at the border. I've not found the n. pulcher aggression to be anywhere near as bad as some others have. I realize you're keeping brichardi, but supposedly they are very similar, even same species. No roaming 'death squard' experience. I've got a breeding group of 4 sharing 36" of rock pile. Two that were expelled are happily living in other areas of the tank with the breeing pair of temporalis claiming the middle of the tank. There are juvie temporalis living under the pulcher's rock pile. If noticed, they're reminded to go back under their rock, but nothing serious. It's one of my favorite tanks to watch. Four generations of daffodils now. But, the temporalis have yet to resume breeding since the divider was removed. It hasn't been long though.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I've kept an adult pair of N. brichardi for well over a year with an established colony of multies in a 125G. The multies stayed on their side of the tank, and the ever increasing colony of brichardi guarded the other half. In my case there were no problems with aggression, but prov356's choice of temporalis shell is probably safer, since they are better capable of holding their own against more aggressive fish than multies.

I've also had one adult male Eretmodus cyanostictus in the tank, and the brichardi tolerated him well, even though he frequently ventured into their territory.

When I got bold and put in some paracyps, I had to pull them out quickly because the brichardi started killing them one by one. I was hoping for the paracyps to hang out over the shellie territory, but they moved into the brichardi's half of the tank, and the brichardis were having none of that.

I think in mixing species in this type of setup a 6' tank would have a big advantage over a 5' tank, simply because an extra foot of space between a shell dweller territory and the brichardi territory can make a huge difference.

Best of luck!


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## olliesshop (Nov 21, 2010)

I'm doing pretty close to the same setup. I have a 125g tank (6'x2'x18") that I plan to build a colony of Brichardi's. The only other fish I plan on having with them are a couple of Plecos, which I have in the tank now with two 4-month old Brichardi's. I'm in the process of getting 6-8 more Brichardi's to try to get 1-2 breeding pairs. I hope it works out.

All the best !!!


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## dielikemoviestars (Oct 23, 2007)

fmueller - those are gorgeous. makes me miss my breeding pair (first fish that i ever bred... and accidentally!)


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