If you are looking for a bright, active, and truly interesting fish for your aquarium, be sure to take a look at the Burundi princess. This cichlid, native to Lake Tanganyika in Africa, has long won the hearts of aquarists around the world. And for good reason: behind its seemingly simple coloration lies an amazing character and complex behavior that you can watch for hours.
These fish are truly unique. They form stable families with a clear hierarchy, jealously guard their territory, and care tenderly for their offspring. Keeping them is not that difficult, but it is important to understand their natural needs. They need fairly hard, alkaline water, plenty of space, and lots of hiding places in the form of rocks and caves that mimic the rocky shores of their native lake.
In our article, we will talk in detail about the characteristics of these amazing fish, look at the existing species and color variations, and give practical advice on setting up an aquarium, feeding, and breeding. You will learn how to create the ideal conditions for Burundi princesses, where they will feel at home and delight you with their activity for many years to come.
The Burundi princess is a bright and active fish that will decorate any aquarium. It loves space, clean water, and the company of other peaceful inhabitants. Although it is unpretentious in care, it is important to monitor water quality and provide a balanced diet. There are several species of this fish, but they are all similar in behavior and living conditions. With proper care, it will delight you for a long time with its bright colors and lively behavior in the aquarium.
Habitat
The Burundi princess is a fish that is extremely rare in nature. It can only be found in the northern part of Lake Tanganyika, near its shore. The Burundi Princess inhabits areas with rocky bottoms and small gorges in the rock formations. It uses the latter as shelter from its natural enemies.
Most often, the fish settles at a depth of 5-6 meters, where it spends most of its life. Almost all year round, it stays close to its fellow fish, forming schools of 80-90 individuals.
Fish characteristics
The Burundi princess fully lives up to its name. It looks impressive and becomes a real decoration of the aquarium. It has a slightly elongated body and developed fins. The latter have pointed tips, which give the fish a special elegance.
The tail of Neolamprologus brichardi is also unique. It is shaped like a lyre, which is rarely seen in other members of the Cichlidae family.
The fish is beige in color with a slight pink tint. Small yellow dots are clearly visible near the tail. The main visual difference of the Burundi princess is a large spot on the gill cover. It is also colored yellow. Another advantage of the fish is the blue edging on each of its fins.
Male Burundi princesses are slightly larger than females (by about 2-3 cm). They have elongated dorsal and caudal fins, which makes it easy to determine the sex of the fish. Females do not change color throughout their lives. At the same time, males change the color of their fins to blue-green during the mating season.
Keeping
The Burundi princess is a schooling fish, so it should only be kept with several other individuals.
A 50-liter aquarium will be sufficient for a pair. If you keep 3-5 individuals, you will need a tank with a volume of at least 100 liters.
The optimal option would be to place one male and 3-4 females in one aquarium.
Neolamprologus brichardi are undemanding when it comes to filling the aquarium. Sand substrate with a large number of stones will suffice. The stones should not be placed too tightly so that there is enough space for the fish to maneuver between them. All this makes the aquarium as similar as possible to the fish's natural habitat. Princess Burundi fish do not need plants at all, so their presence in the tank will be purely decorative.
In nature, Neolamprologus brichardi live for 7-10 years. In order for them to reach this age in an aquarium, they need optimal living conditions. The most attention should be paid to the water temperature. It should be between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius. In addition, the acidity and hardness of the water should be checked regularly.
The optimal pH is 7.3-9.0, and Gh is 8-20.
The aquarium in which Princess Burundi will live must be equipped with a modern filtration system. Owners of these fish also need to clean the tank regularly (removing waste products and food residues). Up to 20% of the total water volume should be replaced weekly. All of these measures will help prevent the accumulation of nitrogen compounds, which can negatively affect the health of Neolamprologus brichardi.
The Burundi princess does not need bright lighting. Natural daylight is sufficient to maintain comfortable conditions for it. On cloudy days and during the cold season, it is important to maintain moderate lighting without using excessively bright lamps.
Neolamprologus brichardi is an undemanding fish in terms of food choice. In natural conditions, it feeds on zooplankton, small aquatic inhabitants, and various rock growths. When kept in aquariums, the Burundi princess should be given a variety of live foods. It can also eat plant-based food and pellets designed for feeding cichlids.
The basis of their diet should be live food with a small amount of plant food added.
Breeding
The Burundi princess reproduces quite actively. This process is as simple as possible, since the owner of the fish does not need to create special conditions for the pair. Most often, the male and female remain faithful to each other throughout their lives.
Both parents care for their offspring, involving other members of the school in this activity. Neolamprologus brichardi choose their own mates. This feature forces aquarium owners to purchase many individuals of the same sex (most often females) so that the male can find a mate among them.
The fish reproduce quickly. During the mating season, the pair looks for a suitable crevice between the rocks, where the female lays several hundred eggs. After that, the male patrols the area around the spawning site and does not allow other fish to approach it. At this time, the female stays close to the eggs.
You need to focus on the following points: Proserpinac Palustris can be grown in aquariums and humid greenhouses. The preferred planting plan is medium. It should be planted in an open area so that it is not shaded by long-stemmed plants in the background.
Subspecies
The Burundi princess is related to other cichlids. It shares some external characteristics with some of them, as well as similar behavior and lifestyle. However, Neolamprologus brichardi has no subspecies.
Compatibility
The Burundi princess gets along well with other fish species. This is due to its moderately peaceful nature and lack of need to fight for territory (unless the fish are kept in a very small aquarium). However, during the mating season, the situation changes. Male Neolamprologus brichardi become more aggressive and may attack fish that approach their mate or spawning site.
Best neighbors:
Prohibited neighbors:
More care tips:
Advice for owners
Keeping Burundi princesses at home is quite simple. However, you need to follow a few standard rules and listen to the recommendations of professionals. This approach will help prevent various problems that could harm or even kill the fish.
Useful tips:
- To improve the condition of all Burundi princesses, place a common driftwood in the aquarium. It will release various substances into the water that are beneficial to this species. This addition will also make the aquarium environment as close to natural as possible.
- Male and female Burundi princesses can jump high out of the water. Therefore, to avoid a large number of deaths, you need to purchase aquariums with lids. They will prevent the fish from jumping out of the water and save the lives of dozens of individuals.
- There is no need to add a large number of decorative items and plants to the aquarium. The Burundi Princess needs space to swim, so too many decorations will make it uncomfortable.
Don't panic if a fish that has just been placed in an aquarium is inactive and timid. This is its natural behavior when it enters unfamiliar territory, so to normalize the situation, you need to give it time to get used to its new surroundings. After a few minutes, the Burundi Princess will actively explore its new home.
— Dmitry Sudakov, Moscow, has been involved in aquarium keeping for 12 years
Video review of Princess Burundi
As you can see, the Burundi princess is an amazing fish that can become the true queen of your aquarium. Its graceful appearance, bright personality, and interesting behavior will not leave you indifferent.
Keeping her is not that difficult if you remember the main things: a spacious aquarium, stable clean water, and the right neighbors. It is important to create conditions where she can express her character without turning the lives of other fish into constant stress.
If you are prepared to pay attention to water cleanliness and respect her territorial instincts, the Burundi princess will become a grateful and long-lived pet. She will give you many hours of observation of her active and social life, making the underwater world truly alive and fascinating.
