All fish / Cichlidae

Multifasciatus Shell Dweller

Neolamprologus multifasciatus

Also known as multies, multis, shell dweller, multi shell dweller, lamprologus multifasciatus, multifasciatus cichlid, ネオランプロローグス・マルチファスキアータス, 多带新亮丽鲷, 贝壳鱼

This is one of the smallest cichlids in the world, a slim beige fish crossed by many thin dark bars, with bluish edges to the fins and bright eyes. It lives in colonies over beds of empty snail shells, and keepers love it for the busy social behaviour that can be watched in quite a small tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

4 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

7.8 to 9

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

Colony of 1 male with 2 or more females, or a group of 6 or more

Diet

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

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

6 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

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

Breeding

Females lay eggs inside empty snail shells and guard the fry, while the colony grows naturally as young stay near their birth shells. Breeding is easy given a sandy bottom, plenty of shells and hard alkaline water.

Good to know

Provide more shells than fish and a deep sand bed, as they dig constantly and defend their shells fiercely against tankmates, even nipping hands. Keep only with fish that use other parts of the tank and need hard alkaline water.