All cichlids from Lake Tanganyika referred to as
shell dwellers prefer to live near abandoned snail
shells. They are also called ostracophilic cichlids – this name
is derived from Greek and means something like “loving
shell”. To this day, most cichlids that match this
description belong to the genera Lamprologus, Neolamprologus and
Telmatochromis – among which T. burgeoni (Poll 1942)
is the only currently designated species of the genus that is certainly
inhabits a territory with scattered empty snail shells.
In my 30 years of experience with tropical fishes,
especially working with fish of the family Cichlidae, I have always been more
been more attracted to small species than large ones, whether African or
American cichlids. When, in the mid-1970s, the
with the export of the first shell dwellers from Lake Tanganyika, the first few
species found their way into my collection. At that time they were
Lamprologus ocellatus and L. ornatipinnis the most widely distributed
species. Today there is a completely different scenario with many
species of shell dwellers available.
Unfortunately, with the increasing number of species from many areas
of the lake, there is confusion that cannot be avoided when
new imports. Hunters are giving these imported fish
names according to the shoreline where they were caught. For example, the new
shell dweller has been sold for months under the name “pearly
ocellatus” and was later branded with the name Lamprologus
meleagris Buscher 1991 – the so-called ‘lace lamprologus’ – and to this day
I see occurrences of both names. If we want to acquire a new species
to the collection, it is important to obtain it from a reliable source
a dealer or breeder who knows where this
new species. If possible, it is advisable to buy adult
specimens and rely on your knowledge of the species to confirm
their true identity.
Systematic considerations
The next quotation is also from Mr Lewis, it is a short
treatise on the systematic classification of shell dwellers. The original was
written in 1996, so we’ll just take this as a preview,
how it actually is with all these cichlids from a taxonomic
terms actually is. It’s very complicated and by no means
we can’t claim today that there is any way that there was a
cichlids.
Before we discuss the individual species that
we can call shell dwellers, we must first consider the question of
of the genus Lamprologus. Recent surveys of the cichlids of the lake
Tanganyika are by Professor Max Poll in 1986
published in the Academy Royal
in Belgium. In this survey Poll rejected the restrictions
of the genus Lamprologus by Columba and Allgazer, who
defined as those species that were found on the Congo River and
who described three new genera of tanganic cichlids =
Neolamprologus, Paleolamprologus and Variabilichromis.
Poll, for a change, ranked the 57 recognized genera of cichlids that
he has collected to date on Lake Tanganyika, into 12 families and rejected
two of the three genera proposed by Columbo and Allgazer –
namely Paleolamprologus and Variabilichromis. I feel that
Poll’s study was superficial to say the least, similarly
like Loiselle’s [2], and while I agree with the reclassifications
of the species Lamprologus calvus and L. compressiceps to the new
genus Altolamprologus, I disagree with the inclusion of such
cichlids such as N. tretocephalus together with N. multifasciatus into
the new genus Neolamprologus. My guess is that the genus
Nelamprologus has been placed in the “mixed genus” category, in the
which also includes “Lamprologus” until the
until further research is done that can more accurately
classification. For this article, I would suggest using the list
published by Mark Smith in 1995 in the autumn issue of
of Aquarium Frontiers, rather than placing everything back into
genus Lamprologus.
Species of tangan cichlids belonging to shell dwellers [5]:
Altolamprologus compressiceps “Sumbu” (Boulenger, 1898)
Lamprologus callipterus Boulenger, 1906
Lamprologus finalimus Nichols & La Monte, 1931
Lamprologus kungweensis Poll, 1956
Lamprologus ocellatus (Steindachner, 1909)
Lamprologus ornatipinnis Poll, 1949
Lamprologus signatus Poll, 1952
Lamprologus speciosus Büscher, 1991
Lamprologus stappersi Pellegrin, 1927
Neolamprologus boulengeri (Steindachner, 1909)
Neolamprologus brevis (Boulenger, 1899)
Neolamprologus caudopunctatus (Poll, 1978)
Neolamprologus hecqui (Boulenger, 1899)
Neolamprologus leleupi (Poll, 1956)
Neolamprologus meeli (Poll, 1948)
Neolamprologus multifasciatus (Boulenger, 1906)
Neolamprologus pleuromaculatus (Trewavas & Poll, 1952)
Neolamprologus similis Büscher, 1992
Neolamprologus wauthioni (Poll, 1949)
Pseudotropheus lanisticola Burgess, 1976
Telmatochromis bifrenatus Myers, 1936
Telmatochromis brichardi Louisy, 1989
Telmatochromis dhonti (Boulenger, 1919)
Telmatochromis temporalis Boulenger, 1898
Telmatochromis vittatus Boulenger, 1898
Natural environment
Almost all cichlids referred to as shell dwellers
are native to the coastal waters of Lake Tanganyika, living
in sandy zones at depths of 5-30 metres, with
compressed fine sand or mud covered with shells
of the Neothauma tanganyicense. These fish are
congregate and use the shells as a source of protection from
predators and as a place to lay their eggs. The young are
are cared for by the females. A particularly interesting species is Lamprologus
signatus and also Neolamprologus brevis, both of which
have been found at a depth of 50 metres. Their natural diet is composed of
of small invertebrates and freshwater shrimps. In captivity
all species prefer food such as cyclops, daphnia or live
artemia.
The temperature of Lake Tanganyika is stable throughout the year, approximately
26,5 °C. Hardness can vary between 11.5-12.0 °dGH,
electrical conductivity 550-620 μS/cm2.
Shell dwellers and shells
Shell dwellers can be divided according to their use of shells into
several groups.
The first group includes at least three types of cichlids, which
lay their eggs in shells. These are Lamprologus callipterus,
Lamprologus calliurus and Lamprologus ornatipinnis. This
group differs from the other shell dwellers in that only the females
hide in their shells. The males stay close to the females and
and thus close to the shells, but in case of danger they seek
shelter among rocks, in crevices, cavities and other
in caves, crevices and other rough terrain.
Another group of shell dwellers namely Lamprologus sp.
“ornatipinnis zambia”, Lamprologus ocellatus and related
species have small males that are able to hide
in their shells – each in its own shell, that is, each individual
inhabits its own private shell.
The third group includes Neolamprologus brevis
(Boulenger, 1899). The male and female of this species
hide in the same shell. Members of the first two
groups breed in groups (harems). N. brevis are
normally monogamous. This is probably a consequence of their
lifestyle. A single shell (usually Neothauma) is sufficient
for one mate. N. brevis can also live in areas with low
empty shells and sometimes inhabit a region where there are no
there are no other shell dwellers.
N. brevis is the only cichlid in which the male and female
shelter in a single shell. When they are threatened by both, the female, which
is smaller (maximum size around 4 cm), will be the first to crawl in
into the shell, followed by the male, whose maximum
size of around 5 cm. The shell is not normally hidden in the sand, but
but these cichlids use it anyway. N. brevis feed on
plankton and very often ‘hover’ over the shells and
collect plankton that is carried away by the water in their environment.
They lay their eggs in the shells, and when the young fish float away, the whole
family hides in a single shell. The juvenile fish leave
the parent shell early in life, around one
a week, after they start swimming on their own and wandering around in the lake and
looking for free shells. N. brevis are an example of cichlids that
adapt to lake conditions in any way they can
Tanganyika.
Special requirements
If we want to create a colony that contains several
generations, it is recommended that the male has a space of at least 20×20
cm of bottom area and that there should be at least one or two shells for
each fish in the colony. Although this is not a rule, many shell dwellers
tend to bury their shells until there is nothing left to stick out
hole. This habit is especially evident with imported
wild fish and is often one of the keys to spawning when
all other methods fail. It is recommended that the bottom of the aquarium
should be covered with very fine clean sand, 5 to
7.5 cm so that each fish can try what is right for it
natural: burying the shells to increase protection, to
to protect their territory from large cichlids, for example
L. callipterus. The latter is an inhabitant of the same zone where
shells have been observed in the mouths of cichlids carrying them to
their territories.
However, the height of the substrate cannot be generalised and, according to
recent knowledge, some species or forms of
shell dwellers, require a lower substrate layer or even
bare bottom, which is related to the conditions in nature. In the lake there are
areas where the bottom is made up of mud and clay. This substrate has
diametrically different parameters than sand and fish living
behave differently in such an environment. Such fish
do not put any substrate on the bottom.
If we have common species of shell dwellers in the aquarium, we use
fine sand. White coral sand is suitable, but fine grey
sand is ideal. The water must be clean and the filtering water should be
use a suitable sponge filter placed in a corner of the aquarium,
or a powerful external filter. Soil filters are not recommended,
as most shell dwellers spend hours relentlessly filtering
the substrate in the aquarium just to uncover the filter, making it impossible
its functioning.
If we want a substrate-free aquarium, then every shell
must be placed on a shallow dish full of sand to
to meet the needs of cichlids. I have personally witnessed this,
an adult pushing a shell 7 inches across a sandy surface until
until he moved it to his desired location. Usually the
the fish digs under the shell until the shell is completely covered
of sand. The fish carries the sand grain by grain with their mouths full,
until they reach their own. If we wanted to relocate
the fish out of the shell without removing the shell from the aquarium,
vertically place a 20 cm long plastic tube in the aquarium
filled with sand so that the shell can be placed on top of the tube and
while being completely submerged. The fish should leave the shell
and approach the bottom where it feels safer. Then we can
move the empty shell from the top of the tube and the fish can be
catch it until it finds a better escape.
The key to successful reproduction
Shell dwellers are mostly aggressive, territorial, dwarf
cichlids (although males of some species grow to be around
10 cm). They have a spawning ritual, characterised by spawning
either the weaker pair of male and female as a colonial pair
reproduction in the social structure, meaning that the pair
inhabits a territory outside the main habitats of the dominant
males. Another possibility is a harem with a single male that
serving four to five females, each of whom protects
their territory created by the males.
Shell dwellers are typical cichlids and therefore often fight until
to death over territorial squabbles, or if an aquarist creates
an aquarium stocked with only pairs and does not provide them
enough shells. When the fish is in the upper corner of the aquarium, it is
it’s a sign that it’s being crowded out. This fish does not go into hiding when
it is disturbed and is rarely allowed to eat. If we want to
to prevent it from dying, it must be moved to another aquarium.
The condition of the water is not decisive, but should be maintained
at a similar average to that of Lake Tanganyika: it is not
no problem. The water should be 25,5 °C and pH 7,8, with a hardness above
10 °dGH. The water should be changed every 14 to 21 days, otherwise the
these cichlids are undemanding. However, excessive water changes would
could be detrimental, especially when the fish are less than 4 weeks old.
The most important part of the aquarium should be sufficient
of empty shells of a suitable size. If we want to create the right
colony, we must provide the fish with more shells than their
number. It seems that most species will
breed until the aquarium is full of young
and adult pairs. If we reach this state, they should
we should remove the few dozen shells that contain young, replace them
them with empty shells and establish a new colony in the next
aquarium in which to place them. We can spawn
support it by changing the water and raising the temperature by 2 to 3 degrees
above normal.