Gold ocellatus shell dweller

Lamprologus ocellatus

Also known as Ocellatus, Gold occie

FreshwaterFish

Gold ocellatus shell dweller (Lamprologus ocellatus) — User:Regani · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.5–9.0
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Common
Origin: Lake Tanganyika (endemic)
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

Keep one male with two or three females in a tank of 40 liters or up. They are mostly peaceful and stick to the bottom, but each fish gets fiercely territorial in the small zone right around its own shell, so spread the shells out to give everyone space. Outside that little patch they leave the open water alone, which makes them easy to pair with mid-water Tanganyikans. Water should be hard and alkaline, pH 7.5 to 9, held at 24 to 27 C. Feed small sinking foods, crushed pellets, and frozen items like cyclops, brine, or daphnia.

In the wild

Gold ocellatus come from Lake Tanganyika in East Africa, where they live over open sandy stretches scattered with empty snail shells. The lake is hard and alkaline, so match that with a pH between 7.5 and 9 and water kept at 24 to 27 C. Give them a sand bed at least 5 cm deep so they can dig, and drop in several empty snail shells, more shells than fish, since each one needs a home base to claim. Keep the upper water open, because they stay down low near the bottom.

Good to know

This is a dwarf cichlid in the family Cichlidae, endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Males reach about 6 cm, while females stay around half that size. They are easy cave spawners that breed readily inside the shells, with the female tending eggs and fry in her shell. Most fish in the trade are tank bred, and they can live several years in good water.

Did you know

A single empty snail shell is the whole world to one of these fish. They will dig sand out from under a shell to bury it at the angle they want, then back into it tail first when anything bigger comes near. A female can spend most of her life within a few centimeters of her chosen shell, raising one batch of fry after another inside it.