Tanganyikan Shell Dweller

A medium sized and robust shell-dwelling species of cichlids found in Africa’s Lake Tanganyika, N. hecqui or Hecq’s Lamprologus makes for a unique display fish due to their vivid pattern and bold, fascinating behavior. In the wild, these cichlids inhabit dense fields of empty snail shells at the bottom of the lake, where each fish will stake a territory in an individual shell and defend it from others. In the aquarium, they are hardy and adaptable but prefer alkaline water and should be provided with shells or similar structure for them to establish territories in. One of the more territorial species of shell dwelling cichlids, they should be given ample space and may bully smaller tankmates.