Has anyone had any luck with Alestopetersius Brichardi?

[Phoenixfishroom]

I purchased some a.brichardi, commonly sold under the common name red Congo tetra even though it is inaccurate and there is actually another fish called that. They are gorgeous, brightly colored, and grow to 3-4”. I think they are easily one of the most stunning tetras out there, so much so that they are now destined to be the main attraction in a 75 gallon african biotope. It is a shame they are so rare in the hobby and almost prohibitively expensive. It appears that they are not often bred in captivity, and is not nearly as easy as most tetras, so it is difficult to find much of anything about doing so. Curious if anyone has experience with keeping and breeding these guys and would care to share their experience? Would love to be able to get a captive bred population of these going and pass them around to some other breeders so we could see these show stealers around more often.

Edited March 7, 2023 by Phoenixfishroom

[Fish Folk]

A guy in our fish club breeds them. Gave a whole plenary talk about his rare African fishroom a few months ago. I can search for the notes if you need them. 

[Phoenixfishroom]

@Fish Folk yeah if you could that would be great

[Fish Folk]

@Phoenixfishroom My apologies it's taken me a bit to dig up my notes. I'm embarrassed to say . . . I totally botched the species ID. When I saw "Brichardi," I immediately went to cave spawners from Lake Tanganyika. Obviously, your fish are Tetras. Nothing from my notes below will help you out. But since I already typed it up, I'll post.

But for details on your particular fish species, you can check out the following links:

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/alestopetersius-brichardi/

http://fishbase.us/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=11105&genusname=Alestopetersius&speciesname=brichardi&AT=Alestopetersius+brichardi&lang=English

https://aquabiota.wordpress.com/2012/11/23/alestopetersius-brichardi-the-cherry-red-congo-tetra/

For best colors, feed a diet with some carotenoids. Also allow natural sunlight in the tanks.

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Now, this is _not_ your fish at all . . .  the following notes are from a recent club meeting with feature presentation titled: "Tanganyikan Secretive Cave Spawners in the Home Aquaria"

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Lake Tanganyka ia 420 miles long -- longer than Lake Erie.

Book recommendation: "Tanganykan Cichlids in Their Natural Habitat" (Ad Konigs)

Only the edges of the lake supports cichlid life.

ca. 3,000+ Cichlid species in the Lake.

There are 200+ species of Tanganykan Cave Spawners.

Ad Königs places them into 9 groupings.

To promote breeding in home aquarium, construct a "cave-within-a cave." Tufa Rock is a common construction material.

Sachem makes a Cichlid Lake Salt . . .  Tanganyika Buffer

Serve them small, high-quality foods: Ken's Flake, BBS, Golden Pearls, Miss, Daphnia

Some recommended species to start with:

NEOLAMPROLOGUS LELEUPI: Yellow / Golden; Males slightly larger; Great parents; When fry are moved, leave a few in with parents to help maintain pair-bond; Hardy plants are fine; typically females guard, males swim around

NEOLAMPROLOGUS PULCHER: Sometimes called "Daffodil"; These look a lot like Brichardi; Yellow Dorsals; 1x Male can spawn with up to 4x females; Females require separate, different structures

JULIDOCHROMUS TRANSCRIPTUS: Referred to as "Bemba" or "Pemba" . . . another called "Gombe"; Black & White; large blotches

JULIDOCHROMUS MARLIERI: smaller black and white markings; use ceramic and tufa rock for caves

JULIDOCHROMUS ORNATUS: Sometimes specified "Congo"; found in the north part of L. Tanganyika; Males care for the cave; life-span 4-6 yrs.

CHALINOCHUEMIS BRICHARDI: Black-mask on heads of adults

JULIDOCHROMUS MARKSMITHI: Sometimes nicknamed "Kipili"; Yelli / Black striped, Blue-edged fins

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Edited March 12, 2023 by Fish Folk

[Phoenixfishroom]

Yeah, it is specifically breeding info I am looking for, thank you though.

[OBXfishkeeper]

Hi!

Just purchased a school of Alestopetersius brichardi (Brichard Tetra) for my 80 gallon. Wondering if you ever found info on spawning them or had luck yourself. I’d love to hear about your experience keeping them! I’m finding very little info online; any tips on keeping them would be super appreciated!