Neolamprologus fasciatus Breeding Guide

Breeding Neolamprologus fasciatus, a Tanganyikan shell- and crevice-spawning predator: sexing, courtship dance, and female-guarded fry care.

Overview

Neolamprologus fasciatus (syn. Lamprologus fasciatus) is a striped predatory Lamprologine endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Wikipedia describes it as a piscivore that preys on smaller cichlids such as Variabilichromis moorii and notes it spawns in empty snail shells. AquaInfo classes it as a substrate spawner in which the female selects and cleans a slot or shell hidden among the rocks before spawning inside the shelter.

Sexing

This species is sexually dimorphic. According to AquaInfo, males reach about 14 cm while females stay smaller at around 9 cm; females are usually lighter colored with rounded dorsal fins, whereas males have pointed dorsal fins. In breeding condition, males develop orange spots on the head and orange coloration around the mouth.

Conditioning

As a ferocious carnivore for its size, fasciatus is conditioned on meaty foods. Hard, alkaline Tanganyikan water and abundant shells and rocky crevices set the stage for spawning.

Breeding Setup

AquaInfo recommends breeding parameters of 24-26 °C, pH 8.5-9.0 and GH 7-11, with snail shells and rocky crevices available for the female to choose and clean as a spawning site. Because the male can be rough with an unreceptive female, the setup should give the female room and refuge.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

AquaInfo describes a distinctive courtship in which the female hangs head-downward above the male. If the male is not interested he nibbles at her, which can damage her fins. Once he is receptive he displays around her, the female spawns inside the cleaned shelter, and the male fertilizes the eggs by fluttering his fins. A nest can hold up to roughly 150-200 young, though literature often reports lower numbers.

Egg & Fry Care

Per AquaInfo, the female guards the spawn and spends most of her time fanning the eggs to supply fresh oxygenated water inside the shelter, while the male guards from a distance and ends his care before the fry emerge. Fry leave the shelter roughly three weeks after fertilization and resemble juvenile Neolamprologus callipterus with an elongated pearlescent-gray body. They are reared on newly hatched Artemia and crumbled food; males grow faster than females, and the fish reach sexual maturity at about 12-15 months.

Common Challenges

Male aggression toward an unready female is the chief risk, so the female needs space and shelters to retreat into. Because the species is predatory, fry and tankmates small enough to be eaten are at risk, and shells or crevices must be sized so the female can defend the brood.