Four-striped slender cichlid - Julidochromis regani DNZ

From the East African Lake Tanganyika come the pretty four-striped slender cichlids, also called Julidochromis regani or Julidochromis marksmithi, which belong to the cichlids. There they inhabit rock structures and crevices in depths up to 45 meters. Due to their elongated body they differ optically from other perch species, which is why they are so interesting especially for Africa fans. In a great Tanganyika tank they come into their own and fascinate with their appearance and behavior.

Julidochromis regani has an elongated body with an ocher-yellow ground color, on which  four brown broad stripes extend from the head to the tail root. These explain, among other things, its German name.  The ventral side is usually somewhat lighter and free of stripes. Young animals develop their strong color with increasing age. All fins, except for the yellow pectoral and ventral fins also have a brown and light speckle pattern. They have thick brown lip bulges and may develop light blue stripes on the face. The animals grow to a maximum length of 13-15 centimeters. The sexes can be distinguished by their genital papillae. Females usually grow larger than males and become much bulkier during spawning season.

In the aquarium, four-striped slender cichlids can be bred to live together in pairs. In offered burrows the animals spawn, whereby the female sticks her up to 200 eggs. The eggs, which are just under 2 millimeters in size, have a rather oval shape and are hard-shelled. Julidochromis regani engages in intensive brood care, even beyond the hatching of the young, who participate in brood care among other activities. They sometimes raise several generations at the same time.

The aquarium for a pair of the four-striped slender cichlids should be at least one meter long and have both ample Caves and hiding places, such as those provided with Roots and stone structures secured against falling over can be offered. These should offer space to retreat, but also to swim through. Since especially the males tend to assert territorial claims, these serve, among other things, to delimit the territory and as a visual screen. The swimming space should not come too short. A fine to medium gra ined gravel is suitable as substrate, in which the animals can easily "dig", an appropriately dimensioned filter should keep the water hygiene constant. At a total hardness of 10-20 °dGH and a pH between 7.5 and 9.5, as well as a temperature of 24-27 °C, the pretty slender cichlids can be well maintained.

Free-living specimens of Julidochromis regani feed among other things on insects and other invertebrates, as well as small crustaceans, for socialization dwarf shrimp or even crayfish are therefore rather not suitable. In a very large aquarium, however, they can be socialized without problems with other inhabitants of Lake Tanganyika, such as Neolamprologus .

With commercially available  dry food in the form of flake food or granulated food, but also food tablets for carnivorous ornamental fish, these carnivores can be optimally supplied. About regularly given treats in the form of live food or frozen food such as Mosquito larvae or Artemia they are very happy.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Cichfeed has a grain size of 1.5 mm and is therefore also suitable for larger fish. NH Cichfeed is a soft granulate for mainly carnivorous fish. It has the same consistency as small crustaceans and insect larvae that fish naturally eat, and the soft granules protect the fish's mouth from micro-injuries that can result from hard feed granules.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.