Caudopunctatus

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep them as a bonded pair from about 75 liters, or as a small colony in a longer tank with several shells and caves so each fish can hold its own territory. They are not a schooling fish and individuals get pushy in cramped space, so spread the cover out. They are mostly peaceful toward different-looking tankmates but turn feisty around the nest when breeding. Water should sit at 24 to 26 C with a pH of 7.5 to 8.5 and stay hard. They are bottom dwellers that feed on small zooplankton, so give them micro granules plus live or frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, and mysis.

In the wild

Caudopunctatus is a dwarf cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika, along the Zambian shores of the lake. It hovers low over sandy bottoms scattered with rocks and empty snail shells, which it uses for shelter and spawning. To match that, give them a fine sand substrate with a few piles of rock, small caves, or empty shells spread around the tank. The lake is hard and alkaline, so keep the water on the hard side with a pH from 7.5 to 8.5 and a temperature of 24 to 26 C.

Good to know

This is Neolamprologus caudopunctatus, a small cichlid in the family Cichlidae. Adults reach about 7 cm, with FishBase listing 6.5 cm and the occasional report near 8 cm being an outlier. It is a cavity and shell spawner with biparental care, where both parents guard the eggs and fry. It is one of the easier Tanganyikan cichlids to breed.

Did you know

The name caudopunctatus means spotted tail, after the small dark dots speckled across the tail fin. A pair will dig under a shell or rock and shift mouthfuls of sand to shape a spawning pit, then both parents fan and guard the eggs together. Watching a pair excavate and rearrange their patch of sand is part of why this little cichlid is such a popular first Tanganyikan.

Related species

• 

  Brevis Shell Dweller

  Neolamprologus brevis

  2.4 in (6 cm)16 gal (60 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Similis shell dweller

  Neolamprologus similis

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Multie shell dweller

  Neolamprologus multifasciatus

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Cylindricus cichlid

  Neolamprologus cylindricus

  4.7 in (12 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Five-bar cichlid

  Neolamprologus tretocephalus

  5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Lemon cichlid

  Neolamprologus leleupi

  4.5 in (11.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)