Julido Marlieri | Julidichromis marlieri

Fish julidochromis marlieri (ornamental aquarium) – is a small fish from the cichlid family and is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Africa. they are also found in Burundi, Congo, Zambia and Tanzania. This fish, which has other names such as spotted julie and marlieri cichlid, occupies basic rocks in deep waters and is widespread in the north and south of the lake. they are at a depth of 5-30 mtr.

This fish spends a lot of time in rock crevices or holes either for hunting for food or for tracking protection. Fish parts of this genus always use the name “Julie”. julie is the name for generally areas or cavities in many fissures in a lake habitat. marlier’s julie has a body like a turpedo with an optimal length of 15 cm.

The pattern of his body in the form of black lines layered on the basic color of his creamy body makes this fish like a small remote control swimming. All fins and tail have a light blue color on the edges. they can swim sideways, hang up and down, and move like a planned movement. In addition, they are sometimes also shy and very difficult to separate from the rocks where they hide. Although shy, this fish is territorial and can attack its tank mate if it becomes disturbed. Fish life span is 5-8 years.

For maintenance in the aquarium, at least it requires a tank with dimensions of 120 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm for a pair. need a bigger tank again when maintaining in large quantities. The decoration of the tank must resemble its natural habitat, namely many rock mounds with gaps or caves. As is known that this fish really likes rock crevices. If you only keep a pair of fish in the tank, it is highly recommended not to change the arrangement of rocks often because on these rocks there are already signs of the boundaries of their territorial location.

Rumors are circulating that they can kill each other due to stress with decorations that are constantly changing. If there is more than one fish in a tank then provide two separate mounds of stones to reduce their aggressive character. it would be better if the fish were kept solitary to reduce their aggressive character. The substrate is recommended to be made of sand and the oxygenation system in the tank should be good. The water parameters needed are water with a temperature of 23-27 Celsius, pH 7.5-9.5 and a hardness of 10-25 oh.

Although the fish is territorial, it has been successfully kept with other species of Lake Tanganyika cichlids of the same size, such as altolamprologus and cyprichromis species. there is no information that says that this fish can become prey for other fish, but it is better if it is protected from large predators.

Marlier’s julie fish are omnivores with the main prey being small crustacean groups, insect larvae and the water snail family. some say that this fish can be used as a mosquito larvae remover. they will digest sand particles as well as digesting filamentous algae or diatom algae (microorganisms). For maintenance in the aquarium, these fish can be fed dry or frozen with proper distribution. Some food ingredients from plants such as spirulina and watercress can also be used as food variations.

Gender differences can be seen from the body of the female fish which is bigger than the male fish, besides that the male reproductive organs (genital papillae) are wider and sharper. Breeding techniques (spawning) are easy to do but require sufficient patience. The best part before starting spawning is to buy a group of young fish and let them mate naturally. If a pair has been formed (usually takes 1 year or more) then move the other fish and leave only the pair in the tank.

If we buy an adult male immediately and force him to mate with a female, then there is no guarantee that the female will survive. The aquarium conditions are set at ph 8, 2-9 and a temperature of 77-80 of. If the spawning system is successful, usually the female can produce less than 100 eggs. The egg laying system is carried out in hidden crevices and eggs can be placed on the walls or ceiling of these gaps. Male fish can protect outside the gap when the female is laying eggs inside. as smart parents, they can protect their babies from various potential dangers.

When it’s time to eat, one parent can go out hunting but the other mother continues to protect her baby. but it can be better to separate the parent after the chicks hatch. After hatching, the chicks can eat their egg yolks until they run out, and after that they can be given baby brine shrimpe as good developmental nutrition. Fish development is very slow and usually after two months. fish fry can measure 2 cm.

freshwaterfish