All fish / Cichlidae

Signatus Shell Dweller

Lamprologus signatus

Also known as signatus, lamprologus signatus, shell dweller, shelldweller, signatus shell cichlid, neolamprologus signatus, ランプロローグス・シグナトゥス, 斑纹贝壳鱼

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A tiny Lake Tanganyika cichlid that lives in empty snail shells on sandy bottoms, with males showing dark vertical bars over a beige to yellowish body. Females are much smaller and less marked. Keepers enjoy it for its busy digging and shell-guarding behaviour in a small tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

4.5 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

7.8 to 9

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

One male with two or three females

Diet

Carnivore: small live and frozen foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops and mysis, plus quality small pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania, Zambia, DR Congo, Burundi)

Breeding

Females spawn inside a shell and guard eggs and fry while the larger male tends several shells. Breeding is fairly easy in hard, alkaline water with plenty of shells and fine sand.

Good to know

Provide more shells than fish and a soft sand substrate as they bury shells constantly. Males are territorial towards other bottom dwellers, and the species is often confused with Lamprologus kungweensis.