Lamprologus brichardi

[William M Lee]

Hi all,
I was given a couple of brichardis last weekend. I've heard of a
daffodil variety how do you identify one? What does the daffodil have
that the regular brichardi doesn't? And how do you sex these fish? TIA!

Sincerely,
William Lee

[Fred Hamilton]

William M Lee wrote:

> I was given a couple of brichardis last weekend. I've heard of a
> daffodil variety how do you identify one? What does the daffodil have
> that the regular brichardi doesn't? And how do you sex these fish?

The "daffodil" brichardi has a sort of orangeish cast on the body,
especially on the dorsal fin. I'm sending you a photo in a separate
e-mail. There is something of a debate over whether the "daffodil" and
"regular" Neolamprologus brichardi are indeed separate species, or
merely color varieties of the same fish. The name "Neolamprologus
pulcher" has been applied to the daffodil in hobbyists' circles.

My own feeling is that they are conspecific (same species). Certainly,
the two varieties will readily interbreed. In my tank, I have also
noticed that following the addition of a large adult male daffodil,
various other brichardi of the "regular" variety, both males and
females, have come to display a yellow coloration -- which was lacking
until the daffodil arrived. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has a
definitive answer to the question of whether these two types of fish are
one and the same.

It's very difficult to sex brichardi. Even venting them is of little
help. In a group of siblings, the males will tend to be somewhat larger
by the time sexual maturity is reached (about 8 months). Some males will
also tend to display more orange color on the operculum (gill cover)
than females, but this is an unreliable trait. Determining sex is often
uncecessary, however, because these fish will breed very readily; they
are the convicts of the African cichlid world. If you have two adult
fish under reasonably favorable conditions (hard water, rocks, and
"elbow room"), they *will* breed unless they are of the same sex.

BTW, brichardi have the most advanced family structure of any cichlid...
and possibly of any freshwater fish. Older fry will guard and protect
younger fry born at different times. The family will stay together for a
lifetime, with the space occupied by the parents and their various
offspring simply expanding as new fry are added to the group. As far as
I know, this trait is not exhibited by any other cichlid, whether old
world or new. In the wild, they are reported to occur in schools
numbering in excess of one million fish at a time, feeding primarily on
microorganisms found in the algae and sandy substrate of Lake
Tanganyika.

Fred

[CWASSAA]

As for sexing N. brichardi , if the fish are in good condition the fins are
much longer on the males than females at similar sizes. It can be difficult to
tell the difference between a female and a male with damaged fins, but any N.
brichardi that have fin tips much longer than others the same size is a male.
This method isn't 100 percent accurate, but is much easier than other methods.
The males also are much more aggressive, so you may be able to tell from
behavior.

___________________________________________________________________
semper ichthys

[Cichlids 1]

>The "daffodil" brichardi has a sort of orangeish cast on the body,
>especially on the dorsal fin. I'm sending you a photo in a separate
>e-mail. There is something of a debate over whether the "daffodil" and
>"regular" Neolamprologus brichardi are indeed separate species, or
>merely color varieties of the same fish. The name "Neolamprologus
>pulcher" has been applied to the daffodil in hobbyists' circles.
>
>

N.brichardi and N. pulcher are a different species of fish.
N. brichardi has a Dark line going from its eye to its gill plate almost
horizontally.
N. pulcher, including Neolamprolugus pulcher 'daffodil' have two bands of dark
coloring. one vertically on the Gill plate itself and one extending downward
from the eye