Shell mbuna

Care at a glance

Overview

The shell mbuna is an aggressive mbuna for a sandy tank scattered with snail shells rather than rock piles. It is best with a little experience.

Caring for the shell mbuna

Give a small group of shell mbuna at least 29 gal (110 L), with a broad sandy floor. Scatter large empty snail shells over the sand in place of heavy stonework. They stay near the bottom and shelter in the shells.

Keep the water hard, alkaline and warm, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. Feed a vegetable-leaning diet with some frozen foods.

Keep more females than males. The shell mbuna is aggressive like other mbuna, so choose tank mates carefully and give it space. It spawns in the shells, and the female is a maternal mouthbrooder carrying around sixty eggs. Breeding is of medium difficulty.

Good to know

The shell mbuna, Maylandia lanisticola, was formerly known as Metriaclima or Pseudotropheus lanisticola. It is a cichlid with the typical mbuna shape but a smoother, gentler head slope.

In the wild

The shell mbuna lives on the open sand plains of Lake Malawi. Empty Lanistes snail shells are almost the only cover there.

Common questions

Related species

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