Fairy cichlid (brichardi)

Care at a glance

The fairy cichlid or princess of Burundi from Lake Tanganyika is pale beige with blue-white fin edges and elegantly trailing tail tips. Its social behaviour is remarkable: older young stay with the pair and help protect later broods, so entire families build up.

Such a colony eventually claims the whole rocky section and drives off other bottom fish. Give it hard, alkaline water and a solid rock structure with crevices, and expect to be netting out surplus young regularly.

Good to know

• Territorial

Related species

• Benga peacock (sunshine)Aulonocara baenschi
• Shell dweller (multi)Neolamprologus multifasciatus
• Julie cichlidJulidochromis ornatus
• Sulphurhead peacockAulonocara maylandi
• Keyhole cichlidCleithracara maronii
• Stuart Grant’s peacock cichlidAulonocara stuartgranti