Ornate shell dweller

Care at a glance

Overview

A small group fits in a tank as small as 60 liters with a soft sand bottom and plenty of empty snail shells. Keep the water hard and alkaline at 24 to 27 C, pH 7.8 to 9.0. It is territorial around its shell but harmless to fish that stay out of its little zone, so it suits nano rift lake tanks. Feed small foods like frozen cyclops, brine shrimp and fine pellets.

In the wild

The ornate shell dweller is a tiny cichlid that lives on the sandy floor of Lake Tanganyika among beds of empty snail shells. It uses the shells for shelter and for raising its young. Males are a little larger and finnier than the rounder females.

Good to know

Lamprologus ornatipinnis is an obligate shell breeder, spawning deep inside an empty snail shell that the female defends. Males are noticeably bigger than females, which is common among shell dwellers. It packs bold behavior into a body only a couple of inches long.

Did you know

A shell dweller will haul sand grain by grain to bury or angle its shell just the way it likes, landscaping its tiny home.

Related species

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  Gold ocellatus shell dweller

  Lamprologus ocellatus

  2.4 in (6 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Brevis Shell Dweller

  Neolamprologus brevis

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

• 

  Caudopunctatus

  Neolamprologus caudopunctatus

  2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–79°F (24–26°C)

• 

  Masked julie

  Julidochromis transcriptus

  2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°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)