TankBud

Similis shell dweller

Neolamprologus similis

FreshwaterFish

Similis shell dweller (Neolamprologus similis)
Melanochromis · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
7.5–9.0
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Cave spawner · Easy
Rarity
Common
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Endemic to Lake Tanganyika, East Africa

Overview

The Similis shell dweller is a small, colony-forming cichlid for a sandy tank with plenty of spare shells. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

Each Similis shell dweller claims an empty snail shell as home and backs into it tail first at the first sign of trouble. The fish rearrange the sand to angle the opening just how they like it.

Caring for the Similis shell dweller

Give a colony of Similis shell dwellers a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L), where floor space matters far more than height. Lay a shallow bed of fine sand. Add more empty shells than fish, or the squabbling over them never stops. Neothauma or escargot shells around 5 cm work well.

Similis shell dwellers are rift lake fish, not soft, acidic blackwater species. Keep the water hard and alkaline, at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 9.0. They stay on the bottom near their shells and eat small foods such as micro pellets, frozen daphnia and baby brine shrimp.

Keep them as a small colony, either one male with several females or a mixed group. They are mostly peaceful and safe with community fish, though each one fiercely defends a patch about six inches across around its shell. Keep them on their own, or with Tanganyikans that stay off the sand, such as Cyprichromis up top and small Julidochromis on the rock.

Males grow to around 4.5 cm, while females stay nearer 3.5 cm. A breeding female spawns inside her shell, then guards the eggs and raises the fry there. Breeding them is easy.

Good to know

The Similis shell dweller is Neolamprologus similis, a dwarf cichlid in the family Cichlidae. It lives several years in good water.

In the wild

Similis shell dwellers are endemic to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. In the lake they live on open sand, where empty snail shells lie scattered across the bottom. The water there is hard and alkaline.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Similis 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 Similis shell dweller need?

A Similis shell dweller needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Similis shell dweller need?

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

What does a Similis shell dweller eat?

A Similis shell dweller eats small foods such as micro pellets, frozen daphnia and baby brine shrimp.

How big does a Similis shell dweller get?

An adult Similis shell dweller reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

How can you tell a male Similis shell dweller from a female?

Males grow to around 4.5 cm, while females stay nearer 3.5 cm.

How does a Similis shell dweller breed?

A Similis shell dweller spawns inside an empty snail shell. The female guards the eggs and raises the fry in the same shell, and breeding them is easy.

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