Convict julie care
Julidochromis regani · Rocky shores of Lake Tanganyika: Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania and Zambia
The convict julie is a slender yellow Lake Tanganyika cichlid with four black stripes from head to tail.
- Tank size
- 30 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 80 °F (24 to 27 °C)
- Group size
- 2 or more
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Adult size
- 5.1 in
- pH
- 7.5 to 9
- Hardness (GH)
- 10 to 20 dGH
- Lifespan
- 8 to 10 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 30 gallon
36¼ × 12⅝ × 16¾ in outsideHow to keep convict julies
The convict julie is a slender yellow Lake Tanganyika cichlid with four black stripes from head to tail. Pairs are largely loyal and spawn in caves and rock cracks, both parents guarding. Keep a pair in a 30 gallon or larger tank with stacked rocks and hard, alkaline water; keep only one kind of julie per tank, since they cross easily.
Diet: Omnivore: small pellets, frozen brine shrimp, mysis and cyclops. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Convict julie tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Swordtail
5.5 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Sailfin molly
5.9 in · 30+ gal · 72–82 °F
Three-spot (blue) gourami
6 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Electric blue acara
6 in · 40+ gal · 72–82 °F
Rainbow cichlid
6 in · 30+ gal · 72–84 °F
Blue acara
6 in · 40+ gal · 72–82 °F
Rusty cichlid
4.3 in · 40+ gal · 75–79 °F
Banded gourami
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: convict julies need 75 to 80 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Discus: No shared temperature: convict julies need 75 to 80 °F, discus 82 to 88 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: convict julies need 75 to 80 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Cherry shrimp: Convict julies eat shrimp.
Amano shrimp: Convict julies eat shrimp.
What a convict julie tank needs
A tank of 30 US gallons or more (such as the 30 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 20
Rated by the maker for up to 30 US gal, which covers a 30 gallon convict julie tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 30 gallon convict julie tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Fluval E100
Convict julies need 75 to 80 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding convict julies.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 80 °F.
We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common convict julie problems
- A breeding pair defends its cave hard; give other fish their own rockwork.
- Different julie species hybridise; keep one species per tank.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Julidochromis regani. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Convict julie Regani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Swordtail Usien, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sailfin molly Nick Tobler (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Three-spot (blue) gourami Peter Jung, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Electric blue acara 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rainbow cichlid Happy Birthday To You!, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blue acara Loïc Tremblay, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rusty cichlid Gerard Delany, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Banded gourami Sandipan Das, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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