Shell-dwelling Cichlid

Lamprologus similis is a tiny shell-dwelling cichlid from the sandy shell beds of Lake Tanganyika, with males reaching about 5 cm and females smaller. Its body is marked with fine vertical stripes that extend onto the head, and it lives its whole life in and around empty snail shells. It needs hard, alkaline water at pH 8.0-9.0 and around 25 C over a deep, fine sand bed strewn with empty Neothauma or escargot shells. Though small, it is boldly territorial around its shell, so give each fish or pair its own shell cluster; colonies can be kept in a wider tank. Feed small carnivore fare: cyclops, brine shrimp, daphnia and micro-pellets. It excavates sand around its shell and is a rewarding, characterful nano cichlid for a species tank.