Princess Cichlid 3cm

Princess Cichlid - Neolamprologus brichardi is a species of cichlid fish, endemic to the alkaline waters of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. It is a popular aquarium fish kept in the fishkeeping hobby, where it is known under a variety of common names including Princess cichlid, Princess of Burundi, Lyretail cichlid, Fairy cichlid, and Brichard's Lamprologus. In addition, the species is also the subject of numerous studies on fish behavior.

Princess Cichlid is notable in a number of ways. This fish is a substrate spawner (lays eggs on the substrate), utilizing the rocky rubble to do so. It is one of the few substrate-spawning cichlids that also schools. It is not unheard of to find a school numbering near 100,000 individuals within a 50-meter square area. It is one of the few fish in Africa that utilizes a collective nursery. This means that adults, sub-adults, and even half-grown fry all participate in a multi-generational rearing of the fry.
Princess Cichlid individuals not only care for their own fry but also the fry of those around them, all while keeping vigil over other adults still actively spawning.