Golden Julie
Julidochromis ornatus
Cichlidae
About
The golden julie is one of the smaller Julidochromis cichlids, a slender, elongate rock-dweller endemic to the rocky littoral zone of Lake Tanganyika. Its pale gold body is marked with three dark horizontal stripes, and it spends its days threading through crevices and hovering close to hard surfaces. It forms tight, long-lived monogamous pairs that fiercely defend a small cave territory, so it needs hard, alkaline water and plenty of rockwork to thrive.
Care
Keep a single bonded pair in hard, alkaline water (pH 8+) at 24-26 C over rockwork with many caves and crevices, in a tank of 90 L or more. Peaceful enough with unrelated tankmates but relentlessly territorial toward its own kind, so avoid keeping multiple pairs unless the tank is large.
Diet
Omnivorous micropredator that gleans small invertebrates and biofilm from rock. Offer small sinking foods and frozen or live micro-foods, with a little vegetable matter; feed modestly.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (6)
Possible with care (94)
Avoid (21)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.