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Cichlids
/ Africa / Lake Tanganyika / Ocellated Shell-dweller
Ocellated Shell-dweller
Lamprologus ocellatus | Pictures
Synonyms:
Julidochromis ocellatus
Physical description: An elongated fish with a large mouth.
The coloration is light brown to brown.
A faint
white stripe extends from the gill cover back to the caudal penuncle.
Under this stripes is another faint
stripe that is brown in color.
Below this, down to the belly, a violet iridescent area is present.
The eyes are large and located far up
on the head.
The lower half of the head is white.
On the gill cover is a large, black spot.
The fins are usually gray in color with
the anal and caudal fins having small, pearl-colored spots.
These fins also have dark edges.
The
dorsal fin has yellow edges (male) or white edges (female).
Size/Length: Males to 2.4" (6 cm), females to 1.4" (3.5 cm)
Similar species:
N. brevis
Habitat: Eastern Africa; widespread throughout Lake Tanganyika.
L.
ocellatus lives in snail (
Neothauma) shells that are scattered about
the muddy and sandy substrate.
This fish lives at a depth from 13-100 feet (4-30 m).
S: bottom
Aquarium: A tank measuring 20" (50 cm) with a volume of 10 gallons (38 L) is sufficient.
Use
a sand substrate with a scattering of large, land snail shells.
It is very important to provide at least one
shell for each fish.
The back of the tank should be arranged with rock structures for the other types of fish
in the tank.
Plant the tank with a few, robust plants.
Water chemistry: pH 7.5-9.0 (8.0), 8-22 dH (14), 73-81°F (23-27°C)
Social behavior: A highly territorial fish that defends its snail shell against all other fish regardless
of their size.
A fine fish for a Lake Tanganyika community tank.
Suggested companions: Julidochromis,
Neolamprologus, Tropheus, Cyprichromis,
Synodontis, Aulonocara, Lamprichthys, Afromastacembelus,
Rainbowfish.
FOOD: Live; snails, crustaceans,
Tubifex, aquatic insects, insect larvae;
small tablets.
Sexual differences: Males are larger with a yellow edge on the dorsal fin.
Breeding techniques: See "Cavity Brooder" in the introduction of Lake Tanganyika Cichlids.
The
spawning occurs in the female's snail shell.
The female is approached by the male and given a nudge on the side
of her belly.
She goes in the shell to lay 20-35 eggs.
The male follows and fertilizes the eggs.
He departs immediately after the spawning.
The
eggs hatch in 24-26 hours and the fry are free-swimming 5-7 days later.
The female may not tolerate the young,
so they are best removed and given their own tank or snail shells.
The females intolerance of the fry does
not always occur, sometimes she cares for the fry for up to two weeks.
Start feeding with
Artemia nauplii and crushed dry foods.
Breeding potential: 6.
Breeding is moderately difficult.
In a large tank with several fish and many snail
shells, the chances of having a male and female are greater.
Remarks: Escargot shells are a happily accepted replacement for the
Neothauma shell that are found in Lake
Malawi.
There is a gold morph.
Difficulty of care: 4.
A hardy, little snail shell-dweller.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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