Ideal colony breeders

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JoeQuality

JoeQuality

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After some research I see that N. brichardi can be the ideal colony breeding species. Under normal, ideal circumstances it doesn't eat their young, protects the fry, won't spazz out and chase away other brichardis because the latter help raise the fry too.

All other popular fish that are favorites do not match up. For example, convicts and most other cichlids are very good parents, but don't like the in-laws or cousins coming into the picture. Many non-cichlids aren't smart enough to distinguish between their own kids and food.

I'm probably wrong, but are there other fish with similar breeding habits like brichardi? At least some that are somewhat readily available at an LFS?
 
JoeQuality

JoeQuality

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ahh thats right, forgot about the shell-dwellers. Ultimately I'd want a setup like I described, preferably w/o a bunch of shells littering the bottom. Who knows though, I still have to plan things out.

How long have you had your multis? Do they boss around the julies or do they stick to their shells mostly?
 
pinkertd

pinkertd

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Brichardi would definitely fit the bill of what you are looking for. You will have more brichardi's than you know what to do with. I would suggest not keeping any other variety of fish in the tank though unless you have a very large tank. They defend their clan furiously and other fish will barely be able to move.
 
jpappy789

jpappy789

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pinkertd said:
Brichardi would definitely fit the bill of what you are looking for. You will have more brichardi's than you know what to do with. I would suggest not keeping any other variety of fish in the tank though unless you have a very large tank. They defend their clan furiously and other fish will barely be able to move.
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I would agree that brichardis are best in species only setups because they get VERY territorial when breeding.

I have only had my multis for about a month. But the male juli is the one who ends up bothering the multies if they get too close to the pairs half of the tank, but nothing harmful. They tend to stick by their shells but usually are out and about.
 
T

toddnbecka

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I have multi's and buescheri in a 55, both species are very protective/tolerant of their fry. The buescheri are more Julie's; several different broods stay together with the parents. They won't form a colony like the multi's, but even brichardi's don't tolerate male fry when they become mature.
 
malken

malken

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This may be a stupid question but after reading a bit about n. multifaciatus I'm curious if they attack your hands while you're doing tank maintenence? And if so, can they actually cause any damage to a human hand?

Those little guys make me wish I had an empty 30.
 
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