Julidochromis Regani is a beautiful cichlid from lake Tanganyika in Africa. They are an amazingly colorful species of freshwater fish and have lively vibrant personalities. They are easy to care for and breed. In this report I will give you details from my own experience with this interesting fish. This fish is a little advanced but could be easily kept by a new hobbyist.
There are a few different color variants of Julidochromis Regani. These color variants are determined by the fishes collection point in the lake. The beautiful yellow fish with blue finnage shown here are from the collection point, Kipili. If you end up asking your local aquarium store to order these for you, or you are looking for them online, you will want to specify that you are looking for “Julidochromis Regani Kipili.”
Temperament and Tank Mates: These cichlids should be kept in tank alone, or in a tank with other Tanganyikan cichlids. They are aggressive enough to kill most community style fish, but not aggressive enough to live with cichlids from lake Malawi. They would do very well with smaller, less aggressive Tanganyikans such as; Neolamprologus Multifasciatus, Cyprichromis Leptosoma, and Altolamprologus Compressiceps. (If you are new to Tanganyikan Cichlids you are saying “What is all this gibberish” right now. Many of the rarer species of fish are only known by their scientific names) Julidochromis should be purchased in groups of at lease 4 or 5 fish. They will pair off and you will have 1 mated pair in the Aquarium. It is unlikely that 2 pair could be housed in the same tank unless it is very large. The mated pair will likely start to attack the other Julidochromis in the aquarium. At this time you will need to remove the other fish so they are not killed. The reason for purchasing 4 or 5 at a time is to make sure you have at least 1 male and 1 female.
Size: Julidochromis Regani is the largest of the 5 Julidochromis species. In the wild they can reach a length of over 5 inches. In the aquarium they will likely reach a length of 4 inches and may get close to 5.
Tank Size: This species should be kept in an aquarium of at least 29 gallons for 1 pair.
Diet: In the wild, Julidochromis are mostly carnivorous and eat primarily small shrimps and insects. In the aquarium they can be fed standard cichlid flake food such as Cobalt Aquatics Cichlid Flakes or Omega One Cichlid Flakes, but their diets should also be supplemented with specialty foods that you would need to get from your local aquarium store or online. Frozen or live Mysis or Brine shrimp are a good choice for these fish. Freeze dried mysis shrimp are another good option.
Breeding: Julidochromis are easy and fun to breed. They are cave spawners and will need to have several “caves” to choose from. You can buy man-made caves online, but if you have access to flat rocks you can simply stack the rocks in a way that it creates caves for this fish to go in and out of. You can also make your own caves by using a small flower pot. Knock a hole in the bottom of the pot using a screw driver and hammer, and then simply turn it upside down in the aquarium so that the top of the pot is pressed into your aquarium substrate. The fish don’t care that the entrance to their cave is on the top of it. They will lay eggs in the cave and guard them aggressively. Even after the eggs have hatched, they will guard the fry until they are about 1/4 inch in length.
Julidochromis are really a fun and exciting fish to keep. Please let me know if you have any questions about them in the comments section below!
They are breeding like crazy in a large community tank with a large oscar nd a green terror and several different African cichlids. Reckon I have fifty in the tank of all sizes. Oscar has not eaten any and is the most placid fish I have ever had