Neolamprologus Ocellatus

[Tony]

Neolamprologus Ocellatus



Scientific Name:- Neolamprologus Ocellatus
Distribution:- Endemic to Lake Tanganyika
Size:- males 2"-2.25"(5cm) females 1.25"(3cm)
Temperature:- 78-81f (ive found lower temps 77-78 f can lower aggression a bit)
pH:-ideally 9.0-9.4 but much lower can be tolerated (should never be lower than 7.8-8.0)
Sexing:-With most N. Ocellatus male and female can easily be told apart by the white edging on the end of the dorsal fin and along the anal fin. Males have no dorsal fin edge coloration or some gold at the beginning of the dorsal and colorless at the back of the dorsal. It is said that with some variants and with poor captive breeding that has been done this way of sexing cannot always be done. But in most cases it is an easy and reliable way of sexing them. Males get much larger than females and males of the same age are larger than females.


Neolamprologus Ocellatus is an active little shell dwelling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika with lots of spirit and character. They are a beautiful shiny gold/tan color with bright shiny purple bellies. Males can reach 2"-2.25" while females only get about 1.25". From reading over countless fish forums I see that the biggest problems that keep coming up regularly with Occies (N. Ocellatus) is aggression between each other. If there ever was a down side to keeping and breeding Occies it would be their major aggression and intolerance with conspecifics (same species) of the same sex. I see little writing on the subject of how to curb aggression with Occies on the web. Seeing that this is the biggest problem with new Occie keepers this piece will focus mainly on stocking, tank sizes and curbing aggression. I have gathered my experience with Occies and experiences from talking to other Occie keepers so beginners can have more breeding and fun keeping these wonderful rather than aggression problems.

Decor

N. Ocellatus prefer sand substrate. Using gravel they cannot dig like they love to do, and you will not see their natural behavior. N. Ocellatus love to dig. They will make mountains of sand, so a few inches of sand is preferred. They need shells to breed and feel comfortable. Try to get 2 to 3 shells per fish that you have.

Breaking the line of sight is also very important for keeping the peace. A long rock with plants tied to it to divide territories works great.



 

Housing and Breeding

In nature N. Ocellatus are harem breeders. A male holds a territory in which several females hold their own smaller territories within.

The minimum tank size for a pair is 10 gallons(38 litres).
In a 10 gallon(38 litres) there should only be one male and one female. Any extra females will be killed off by the dominant female. Females may be smaller but can be just as aggressive and territorial in small spaces. The females are pretty tough too.

In a 10 gallon(38 litre) you may have problems with male on female aggression. The male may kill the female. For this reason I suggest at least a 15 gallon(57 litre) to a beginner. A pair can be maintained in a 10 gallon(38 litre) though with the proper steps. Get a large female. Although this may seem only a temporary situation because males will eventually dwarf females its actually not.
The most aggression that will test the pair being in a 10 gallon(38 litre) is just the first few weeks. Once they have excepted each other and spawned once or twice the male settles down considerably and the female gets extra courage to stand up to the male while guarding babies. If you get a large enough female to survive the first few weeks you are much more likely to have long term success in a 10 gallon(38 litre). Male settles down after spawning and is actually sometimes pushed around by the female during brooding time.
Males are discouraged to stay around too close to the females shell during brooding. And during that time she is not scared to enforce this. It doesn't worry the male too much though. Females guard their small territory while brooding with a passion that few fish can match. They are fearless while brooding. Breaking the line of sight between the two also works wonders as said above. Don't expect to have a bare tank with a pair in a 10 gallon(38 litre). It just wont work. The male will harass the female to the point of death if not removed in a bare tank. Given enough shells and refuge and a broken line of sight will make this work. For a harem of Occies a 20 gallon(75 litre) long or larger is required. Remember that females can be just as nasty and territorial with one another as males in cramped spaces. In a 20 gallon(75 litre) long (30"/120cm long) I would suggest only 3 females maybe 4 but it might be pushing it a bit. Occies just like the rest of their species complex (Stapperi, Speciosus, Meleagris) are not the most social shellies. Unlike some other harem breeding fish of Lake Tanganyika Occies don't take well to being put in "colony" type situations.

Males tolerate each other extremely poorly and females interaction amongst each other isn't much better. Multiple males can be kept together in larger tanks but don't expect more than one of them to do the spawning. Occies are best kept in a single male harem with other non-shellie Tanganyikans tank mates. Occies are great little fish with tons of personality and character. They are very comical fish and very brave. Small females will attack huge gravel vacuums with great vigor. Provide them the space from each other needed and you will be sure to enjoy them for many many years.




Written by: riftlakekid