TankBud

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
Cave spawner · Easy
Rarity
Common
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Lake Tanganyika (endemic)

Overview

The gold ocellatus shell dweller lives on the bottom of the tank and makes an empty snail shell its home. It is mostly peaceful away from its shell and easy to keep.

Did you know

The gold ocellatus shell dweller treats one empty snail shell as its whole world. It digs out sand to bury the shell at the angle it wants, and backs in tail first when anything bigger comes near. A female can spend most of her life within a few centimeters of her shell, raising batch after batch of fry inside it.

Caring for the gold ocellatus shell dweller

Give gold ocellatus shell dwellers at least 11 gal (40 L). Lay a sand bed at least 5 cm deep so they can dig. Add more empty snail shells than fish, since each one needs a home base to claim. Spread the shells out so every fish has space.

Keep the water hard and alkaline, at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 9.0. Feed small sinking foods and crushed pellets, plus frozen cyclops, brine shrimp or daphnia.

Keep one male with two or three females. They are mostly peaceful, but each fish turns fiercely territorial in the small zone right around its own shell. Outside that patch they leave the open water alone, so they pair well with mid-water Tanganyikans. Keep the upper water open for those fish, since the shell dwellers stay down low.

Males are larger, and females stay around half their size. They are easy cave spawners that breed readily inside the shells. The female tends the eggs and fry in her shell.

Good to know

The gold ocellatus shell dweller is a dwarf cichlid in the family Cichlidae. Most fish in the trade are tank bred, and they can live several years in good water.

In the wild

Gold ocellatus are endemic to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. They live over open sandy stretches scattered with empty snail shells. The lake's water is hard and alkaline.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The gold ocellatus shell dweller is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a gold ocellatus shell dweller need?

A gold ocellatus shell dweller needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a gold ocellatus shell dweller need?

A gold ocellatus shell dweller is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.5–9.0.

What does a gold ocellatus shell dweller eat?

A gold ocellatus shell dweller eats small sinking foods and crushed pellets. Give it frozen cyclops, brine shrimp or daphnia as well.

How big does a gold ocellatus shell dweller get?

An adult gold ocellatus shell dweller reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).

How can you tell a male gold ocellatus shell dweller from a female?

Males are the larger sex. Females stay around half the size of a male.

How does a gold ocellatus shell dweller breed?

Gold ocellatus shell dwellers are easy cave spawners that breed readily inside empty snail shells. The female tends the eggs and fry in her shell.

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