LAKE TANGANYIKA CICHLIDS.
Order Perciformes
Family Cichlidae
Subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae
Continued…
Genus Neolamprologus.
— Neolamprologus brevis [Boulenger, 1899] — Brevis Shell Dweller. Synonym: Lamprologus brevis. (English: Brevis Shell Dweller, Sunspot Shelldweller, Brevis). Lake Tanganyika, sandy biotopes. Males 5 cm, females 3.5 cm. Distinctive features of this cichlid species include: • compact body shape and laterally compressed body; • small head with an upturned mouth; • dorsal and anal fins slightly pointed; pelvic fins pointed, slightly elongated; • caudal fin with curved outer edges.
There are many color geographic variations. Beige-orange or brownish with a violet sheen and 7-10 transverse bluish-golden stripes along the body, partially doubled and not reaching the belly area. Flanks and lower body are violet. Unpaired fins feature a pearlescent pattern and a wide (wider in males) white-blue or orange border. The anal fin has 3-4 egg-spots. Blue lines are present under the eye and on the upper lip. An ocellated spot is located on the gill cover.
Males and females are colored similarly. Males have brighter coloration and develop a prominent fatty cushion in the forehead area with age. The dorsal and anal fins of adult males have pointed ends. Looking closer, we can clearly see the striking blue color on the lips and under the eyes, graceful golden stripes across the reddish body, red-white edging on the unpaired fins, and colorful spots and dots.
Due to a significantly higher and more massive body, males look much larger than females. A striking behavioral trait of the female is displaying submission to the male by arching and positioning herself in front of him while raising her caudal fin and head. At this moment, a characteristic pattern of dark transverse dashes appears on her body.
When frightened, the general body color becomes bronze with a black cap on the head (between the eyes, extending to the tip of the upper jaw), and a black spot is located above the anal fin. The lower body above the anal fin remains violet-blue.
There are several variations (transverse stripes are characteristic of all): • creamy-orange; • dark brown; yellowish; • pale blue, including: • without a yellow spot on the head; • with a yellow spot on the upper part of the head; • with a golden-yellow spot on the front part of the body. Currently, a number of geographic races of this species are known. Color morphs: — N. brevis “Burundi” – orange border on the crest and most of the caudal fin; — N. brevis “Cape Chaitika”; — N. brevis “Kapampa” – differs by a matte gray-yellow body and a yellow spot on the belly. Fins without pattern, body without stripes; — N. brevis “Katabe/Chimba” – orange color on top of the head. Thin white border on the dorsal fin and most of the caudal fin;
— N. brevis “Karilani”; — N. brevis “Kigoma” – the brightest race of the species. Fish coloration is complemented by blue lips and an orange spot on the head. Body stripes and the dash under the eye are much clearer and brighter; — N. brevis “Margarae” – Adult males have an elongated body shape and a bifurcated caudal fin. Females are dark brown with irregular white patches and a yellow belly; — N. brevis “M’toto”; — N. brevis “Ruziba” – characterized by a bright orange spot on the head and violet pigment in the pearlescent stripe under the eye; — N. brevis “Sun spot” – Body is much darker, chocolate-brown with a yellow belly;
Territorial species. One of the bravest fish. Defending the spawning site, they attack even a hand lowered into the aquarium. If there are fewer females than males in the aquarium, fights occur between males, sometimes fatal. Up to three or four generations of juvenile fish can coexist with adult fish. Often a pair lives in the same shell. In this species, both males and females hide in the shell during moments of danger. It is better to let the fish choose their partners by raising a group of 7-10 young specimens together.
Perhaps in no other shell-dweller will you see such a touching manner of positioning near the shell when both partners press against each other like a single entity at the entrance to their shared home. If danger increases, the female instantly disappears inside, and the male enters second, securely “locking” the entrance to the shell with his body. Fish rarely wander further than 20-30 cm from their shelter.
Males swim into shells only during spawning. Even when in danger, they seek shelter elsewhere. The fish are constantly in motion, darting back and forth, bustling around the shells. Their postures relative to each other are constantly changing. This harmless tiny fish gets along wonderfully with tetras, rasboras, and livebearers. With their diverse, extraordinary habits, they will perfectly enliven and complement the bottom zone in an aquarium with small representatives of the Tanganyikan ichthyofauna of similar dietary specialization.
A single pair of L. brevis can be successfully kept in a very small 25-30 liter aquarium. Sandy substrate with 1 mm grains mixed with the finest gravel, 3-5 cm layer, with large empty snail shells placed in various places, and their number should exceed the number of fish. They completely bury the shells in the sand, leaving only the opening outside. The shell opening is always oriented so that the fish can easily swim into them horizontally. Plants can be added, but not near the territories formed by the fish around the shells.
Unfussy eaters, they accept any appropriately sized animal-based foods normally used for feeding Tanganyikan cichlids. They readily eat plankton, especially large cyclops and daphnia. When snails are introduced into the aquarium, the fish pull small snails out of their shells and eat them completely; large snails are attacked in an attempt to bite off a piece of the unprotected body part.
Due to the small space in the shell, parents do not care for their offspring for too long. As a rule, as soon as the fry begin to swim freely, they voluntarily leave the shell. As they grow older, they must find empty, uninhabited shells. Excess lamprologus fry can be easily caught from the general aquarium using small apple snail shells with a broken narrow end. Adult fish cannot enter them, but frightened fry crowd several at a time into one and can be easily transferred along with the shelter to a grow-out aquarium. There they soon leave the shells and form a school.
For disease prevention, it is useful to add methylene blue (to a blue tint) and table salt – up to 3 grams per liter. Under optimal conditions, they rarely fall ill, reproduce well, and live on average five to six years. pH 7.5-8.5; dH 10-20°; T 23-27°C.
Identification: Neolamprologus brevis.
— Neolamprologus brichardi [Poll, 1974] — Fairy Cichlid, Lyretail Lamprologus. Synonym: Lamprologus brichardi. (English: Fairy Cichlid, Lyretail Lamprologus). Lake Tanganyika, coastal rocky zone. 9 cm, in aquarium 6-10 cm. It should be noted that populations of the same species living near different islands are completely isolated from each other, and the evolution of each follows its own path. As a result, many geographic races of the same species have appeared. Naturally, races in close geographic areas are more similar to each other than to distant ones.
The main body coloration is brownish-yellow or pale coffee, with patterned gill covers and a white-blue border on the fins. Near the gill cover, there is a black spot with a silver-blue edging, behind the eye – a smaller reddish-brown spot. In the upper part of the gill covers are “golden earrings” – dark spots that disorient predators. By flaring their gill covers during attacks or when intimidating other fish, they expose their gills, on which another pair of “false eyes” stands out brightly.
A dark stripe runs from the snout through the eye to the bottom of the gills, ending in a large spot below which a faint pattern of blue stripes is scattered. Each scale has a reddish-brown speck, which creates vague longitudinal lines of the same color on the body under appropriate lighting. All fins are transparent with a yellow-green or gray-green tint, light reddish rays, and a light blue border. Males are larger than females. The ends of the dorsal, anal, and outer rays of the caudal fin are elongated.
In various geo-variants, body coloration may differ, but typically it is beige-brown, partly with numerous yellow or red-brown specks on the scales, forming a net-like linear pattern on the flanks. The area behind the eyes and the gill cover have vermicular, blue, or yellow lines. A black-brown, oblique stripe runs along the edge of the gill cover, tapering downwards. The second black-brown zone in the form of an oblique stripe starts behind the eyes and slants downward, but does not intersect with the stripe on the edge of the gill cover.
Color morphs: — N. brichardi “Kiku” – differ from the base species by having yellow tips on unpaired fins; — N. brichardi “Rutunga” – differ from the base species by having a bright yellow spot on the gill covers; — N. brichardi “Daffodil” – Daffodil Lamprologus, or yellow princess. A larger representative of the “princesses”, an adult male can reach 15 cm in length. It has a bright lemon dorsal fin with a narrow blue stripe along its upper edge, a lemon-colored body, and bright yellow throat and gill covers. The head features a “mask” of small dashes, the blue color of which is more intense than in other representatives. In addition to bright coloration, this form is distinguished by unusually long filaments of the caudal lyre – in normal light they are milky-white, and in reflected sunlight they sparkle with a neon shimmer.
Keeping the Fairy Cichlid requires a species aquarium of 30 liters or more (for a single pair) with various shelters (grottoes, caves, driftwood). They prefer caves and rock crevices. Plants must be planted in pots or surrounded by stones at the roots to prevent the fish from digging them up. A cover glass is mandatory. Aeration, filtration, and water changes are necessary. They reluctantly or never accept substitute foods.
Territorial fish, aggression is manifested only during the spawning period. At this time, they occupy an area up to 50 cm; family colonies require a separate aquarium. Unlike other lamprologuses, these are strictly schooling fish. The fish school is formed based on blood kinship and is distinguished by a strict hierarchy. Spawning individuals create family colonies that include parents and multi-aged juveniles from several broods.
The core of the school is a small group of breeders, usually no more than 10 individuals. They can form both stable pairs and harems, where one male spawns sequentially with several females. The struggle for hierarchical steps is fierce, with fatal outcomes not uncommon.
In the aquarium, it is advisable to keep no more than 2 pairs or one male and two females. They are capable of killing extra fish in their territory, even if they are of the same genus or much larger predators posing a threat to fry. Their weapon is jaws equipped with numerous sharp teeth. Movements are fast, slightly abrupt. When keeping these fish in a school, it is necessary to closely monitor their behavior, especially during maturation, to timely identify individuals “ousted” from the school and immediately transplant them to another aquarium. They mature at 8-10 months. They live 3-4 years. dH 8-25°; pH 7.2-8.6; T 22-27°C.
Neolamprologus buescheri, callipterus, christyi.
Genus description Neolamprologus, Neolamprologus bifasciatus. 
