CICHLIDS OF LAKE TANGANYIKA.
Order Perciformes ( Perciformes )
Family Cichlidae ( Cichlidae )
Subfamily ( Pseudocrenilabrinae )
Continued…
Genus Neolamprologus — Neolamprologus.
— Neolamprologus savoryi [Poll, 1949] — Savory’s Lamprologus, Striped Neolamprologus. Synonym: Lamprologus savoryi. Lake Tanganyika. 9 cm, females are smaller. Small head with a straight mouth and round eyes. Unpaired and pelvic fins are pointed. The caudal fin is less branched, and the outer rays are elongated very slightly. Body is grayish.
The main distinguishing feature of L. savoryi is the presence of six dark transverse stripes on the body. On the upper part of the gill cover, there is a short stripe tapering downwards. Perpendicular to the gill cover, a horizontal stripe of the same dark color passes. Below it, glossy blue strokes are randomly scattered, and the entire pattern resembles a mask. The rays of the caudal, anal, and dorsal fins are slightly elongated.
It is necessary to provide a sufficient number of hiding places in the aquarium in the form of caves or rock crevices. Intraspecific aggression is weak, but these cichlids are often aggressive towards other species. If desired, you can keep them with other similarly sized non-aggressive fish, providing plenty of rocky hiding places. Keep in mind that this fish has a shy and modest character and will spend most of its time out of sight in hiding.
They should be kept in pairs that remain together for life. They do not grow as fast as N. brichardi, and therefore it takes a little longer for them to become sexually mature. Easily breeds in captivity. They spawn in caves that have only one entrance. Fry are under parental care until they reach about 3 cm in size. T 25-27°C; pH 7.8-8.5; dH 10-18°.
— Neolamprologus sexfasciatus [Trewavas & Poll, 1952] — Six-Bar Lamprologus, Yellow Six Bars. (English – Six Bar Lamprologus, Yellow Six Bars). Southwestern part of Lake Tanganyika. 15 cm, females are smaller. Distinctive features of this cichlid species are: • an elongated, somewhat high-bodied body, compressed laterally; • a strong head with a slightly raised, deeply cut mouth; • pointed ends of the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins (the latter are not elongated); • a rounded caudal fin.
They have six clearly defined, dark blue, vertical stripes on a light blue body (the stripe between the eyes is not taken into account), five of which originate from the base of the dorsal fin and reach the lower part of the body. Six contrasting stripes on the body distinguish this species from other lamprologins. N. tetrocephalus has only five stripes.
Currently, several geographic variants of this species are known: — N. sexfasciatus “Congo” – ranges from milky yellow to canary orange with blue sparkles on the gill covers, body, and fin margins; — pure blue variant; — blue variants with a yellow tint on the body; — pure yellow variant (only fin edges are blue); — N. sexfasciatus “Gold” – bright yellow body color, including fins. Also has 6 transverse dark stripes on the body; — N. sexfasciatus “Kambwimba” – silvery body with silver fins that may have a slight blue tint;
— N. sexfasciatus “Kipilli” yellow variant with blue fins and — half-mixed coloration variant (upper body yellow, lower body and fins blue). Juveniles of the yellow (gold) form, which, unlike the nominal form, have a yellow-pink coloration and somewhat blurred stripes in the lower part of the body. When excited, the coloration changes in a matter of seconds – the stripes disappear, and instead 3-4 black spots appear along the middle of the fish’s body; — N. sexfasciatus “Zambia” – has a pearl-white body with seven (including the eye stripe) vertical stripes and blue-blue fins;
The aquarium, along with shelters and caves, should contain sandy areas and open water zones. An aggressive territorial species, classified as a marauder. Strong intraspecific aggression, so they are not kept in groups, but only in pairs. However, the male can also show aggression towards the female. This species is carnivorous and therefore keeping it together with “algae eaters” is undesirable. It differs by being a third larger in size, and this must be taken into account when choosing aquarium neighbors, considering the territoriality of the fish. It gets along easier in spacious aquariums with hard alkaline water, varied shelters, and in the company of other large neighbors. Cannot tolerate temperatures above 29°C for long periods.
Sudden transfers cause shock with respiratory center paralysis. They adapt to new conditions with drip water replacement. Eats all types of animal-based foods and grows intensively with quality nutrition (1-1.5 cm per month). Breeders mature by 18 months. Fish spawn even in a general aquarium. The substrate is a drainage pipe or glazed cache-pot. The clutch is guarded by both parents. They live 5-7 years. T 25-27°C; pH 7.8-8.5; dH 10-20°.
— Neolamprologus similis [Buscher, 1992] — Similar Shelldweller, Big Eyed Multi. (English – Zebra Shelldweller, Similar Shelldweller, Big Eyed Multi). Lake Tanganyika. 5 cm. In nature, the habitats of the species are the western and eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika. Distinctive features of this cichlid species are: • compact build and laterally compressed body; • small head with a superior mouth; • rounded dorsal and anal fins at the ends; • pointed, slightly elongated pelvic fins; • rounded tail.
Eyes and mouth are quite large. The coloration is very effective due to many thin whitish transverse stripes that do not extend onto the head of the cichlid. Across the brownish-reddish to light-beige body, 11-14 thin light transverse stripes run. There are about a dozen and a half of them, and they partially extend onto the caudal fin. It has stripes on the forehead and gill covers.
Unpaired fins have a thin golden rim at the edges of hard and soft rays. In the middle part of the unpaired fins, there are transverse yellowish smudges that look like a continuation of the stripes on the body. Pelvic fins have bluish rims. Sexual dimorphism is externally weakly expressed. With age, the male is noticeably larger than the female, has a more massive body and a small fatty growth on the forehead.
Compared to N. multifasciatus, N. similis has stripes on the forehead and gill covers, dark and light stripes have different widths and are more contrasting than in N. multifasciatus. 1-2 month old fry of L. similis have no stripes, only the dorsal fin is decorated with a wide orange-yellow rim. Literally in a month, the first stripes begin to appear.
Quite aggressive, however, “fights” are merely threatening gestures. The male flares his gill covers and opens his mouth wide, and also bends his body towards the intruder to look bigger. The colony is defended by all fish that make up the main line of defense. A harem can be formed consisting of one male and several females, which can occupy an entire pile of shells.
In nature, they live in families, the number of members of which cannot be counted. Adult juveniles remain in the colony and help in raising offspring. Colony is perhaps a very accurate and appropriate name. A certain seniority hierarchy reigns here. In such a colony, a swarm of fry of various sizes and ages often sways over many shells, the placers of which in Lake Tanganyika sometimes occupy huge spaces.
In the center of the group is a pair or several “older” individuals, nearby are smaller fish, and so on. Newborn fry “swarm” near the main breeding pair, but as they grow, they are pushed out of the nest by the parents. When approaching the aquarium, numerous small fish instantly hide in the shells. Moreover, this happens simultaneously, as if on command. And then, if you freeze by the aquarium for another few minutes, the youth slowly begin to leave their shelters. Soon the whole school is swarming again over the shell-strewn bottom.
The mottled, small and very active bodies of L. similis look very picturesque in the foreground of the aquarium against the background of fine gray sand. On coarse sand and fine gravel, they look much worse, “getting lost” against the background of the large structure of individual particles. In the aquarium, the light armor of shells allows shell-dwelling lamprologus to move and shift them across the sand in the direction they need. These movements are dictated by the desire to occupy a better territory. When dragging is impossible for some reason, after the fish finds a more advantageously located shell, the old dwelling is buried in the sand.
It is best to feed fish with Artemia, shrimp meat, mosquito larvae, daphnia or other live or frozen foods. This species also readily accepts ready-made flake or pellet foods. They spawn in a general aquarium. The female stays with the eggs and fry. Males and older juveniles defend the territory. Young fish are extremely active and playful, and observing their friendly school is no less entertaining than watching adult fish. dH 10-15°; pH 8.0-8.5; T 24-26°C.
Neolamprologus splendens, Neolamprologus tetracanthus.
Neolamprologus obscures, pectoralis, prochilus, pulcher. 
