Splendid lamprologus

Neolamprologus splendens

Also known as Lamprologus splendens

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.8–9.0
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Tanganyika, Congolese coast
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

The splendid lamprologus is a slender, colony-forming Tanganyikan kept as a group in its own species tank. It hovers in the water just above rubble and rock rather than sitting on the bottom, and the generations share out the caves and crevices among themselves. It is peaceful toward other species but does not mix well, so keep it alone with its own kind. Feed small frozen and prepared foods and keep the water hard and clean. A tank of around 160 liters holds a starter colony.

In the wild

Neolamprologus splendens lives above rubble slopes on the western, Congolese shore of Lake Tanganyika, around Cape Zongwe. Recreate it with a sandy floor, heaps of rock and rubble stacked into caves, and the lake's hard, alkaline, warm water at pH 7.8-9.0 and 24-27 C.

Good to know

Neolamprologus splendens is a cichlid of about 8 centimeters, a slender, colony-forming member of the Tanganyikan fairy cichlids, with smoky violet in the fins. It is a substrate spawner in which a pair breeds while earlier offspring linger nearby, and breeding is of medium difficulty.

Did you know

The fairy cichlids divide the Tanganyika shoreline between them, each stretch of coast holding its own species. Splendens is the one that belongs to the Congolese coast around Cape Zongwe, and it lives nowhere else.

Tank mates

Splendid lamprologus is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.