Neolamprologus olivaceous

Classification

Cichlidae

Distribution

Endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It is found only in Luhanga Bay.

Habitat

Areas of shoreline with rocky substrates.

Maximum Standard Length

3.2″ (8cm).

Aquarium SizeTop ↑

30″ x 12″ x 12″ (75cm x 30cm x 30cm) – 70 litres is suitable for a single pair.

Maintenance

Should be housed in a Lake Tanganyika biotope setup, with piles of rocks arranged to form caves filling much of the aquarium. A sandy substrate is preferable.

Water Conditions

Temperature: 73-81°F (23-27°C)

pH: 7.5-9.0

Hardness: 8-25°H

Diet

Live and frozen foods should comprise a large proportion of the diet. Dried foods can be fed, but less often. Some vegetable matter, such as spirulina or blanched spinach should also be fed.

Behaviour and CompatibilityTop ↑

An aggressive, territorial species best kept in a species tank. However in large tanks it can be maintained successfully with other small to medium-sized Tanganyikan cichlids that occupy different areas of the tank such as Cyprichromis species. Other rockdwellers such as Julidochromis or Altolamprologus are possibilities if the tank is large enough and sufficient territories are provided. It should not be kept with mbuna or other boisterous species. It is very aggressive towards conspecifics and only a single pair should be kept unless the tank is very large as this species forms monogamous pair bonds.

Sexual Dimorphism

Not easy to sex. Adult males tend to be larger than females.

Reproduction

Possible. Cave spawner. We suggest the purchase of a group of at least six young fish and allowing these to pair off naturally. The breeding tank should be at least 30″ in length (or larger depending on the size of the initial group) and set up as suggested above. The pH should be around 8.2-9.0 and the temperature 77-80°F. It is far better if no other species are present, though N. olivaceous will often breed in a community situation. Condition the group with a good varied diet as above.

Be prepared for some losses as subdominant male fish will most likely be eliminated, until only a single dominant pair remains and it will be nigh on impossible to remove a small fish from the breeding aquarium if it is set up correctly. The pair will remain together for life. They will spawn secretly in a cave which they often excavate themselves, with the female laying her eggs on the wall or roof of it. Once spawning has occured, the female will tend to the eggs while the male guards the area around the cave. It is often difficult to tell if spawning has occured until the fry appear, so if you suspect there is a brood in the tank, start adding a food source for the fry.

The fry are large enough to take brine shrimp nauplii from birth but are quite slow growing. As with other Brichardi complex, Neolamprologus species brood care is long-lived and previous generations of fry are permitted to remain with the parents until they reach sexual maturity. The parents will continue to spawn and several generations can often be seen coexisting in the same aquarium.

NotesTop ↑

This species is included in the so-called “Brichardi complex”, which also includes N. brichardi, crassus, falcicula, gracilis, pulcher, savoryi and splendens. These should not be mixed in aquaria, as they will hybridise freely. N. olivaceouscan be distinguished from others in the complex by the two curved markings on the gill cover. It is possible that it is synonymous with N. pulcher, as proposed by Konings (1993).