Tropheus brichardi kipilli - Cichlid Fish for Sale UK

Tropheus keeping is a discipline with its own rulebook, and the Kipilli form of Tropheus brichardi expects you to know it. The record is upfront: expert-level care, a semi-aggressive temperament that can turn territorial, and a herbivorous diet that must be respected. Get those three things right and you have one of Lake Tanganyika's most engaging cichlids for the next decade — the listed lifespan is a full ten years.

Kipilli is a collection-locality form of Tropheus brichardi reaching around 15 cm at adult size. Housing needs to match: 400 litres is the minimum on record, filled with the hard, alkaline water this lake demands — 24 to 27 °C, pH from 7.5 to 8.5 and hardness between 12 and 30 dGH. Feeding is where many keepers go wrong with the genus; this fish is a herbivore, and its diet should be built on vegetable matter rather than rich, meaty foods.

Social structure is the heart of Tropheus care, and the compatibility record points one way: keep Kipilli with its own kind, in a sufficiently large group and tank, so attention is spread across the group and no single fish gets hounded. Resist the temptation to shortcut any of this: the tank minimum, the group advice and the diet entry are not preferences — together they are the difference between a stable colony and a tank you spend months firefighting.

Kipilli care file

• Expert care level; semi-aggressive and capable of turning territorial
• Adult size around 15 cm; lifespan about 10 years
• Minimum 400 litres; 24–27 °C, pH 7.5–8.5, 12–30 dGH
• Herbivore — build the diet around vegetable matter
• Best kept in a proper group of its own kind

Stocking guidance before you buy

Beyond a correctly sized Tropheus group, workable tankmates are limited to Synodontis catfish and some similarly sized, similarly tempered Tanganyikan rock-dwellers in very large aquaria. Avoid peaceful community fish, slow-moving or long-finned species, large aggressive cichlids, soft-water fish, and small fish likely to be bullied or eaten — and never mix different Tropheus species in smaller tanks, where hybridisation and aggression both become real risks. We deliver by licensed live-animal courier with a live arrival guarantee on every fish.