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Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Neolamprologus leleupi 'Kapampa'.jpg Neolamprologus leleupi 'Kawasindi Island'.jpg Neolamprologus leleupi 'Kilima'.jpg Neolamprologus leleupi 'Kitumba'.jpg Neolamprologus leleupi 'Luhanga'.jpg
Previous pageNext pageNeolamprologus leleupi 'Kilima'
Tribe / Genus: Lamprologini / Neolamprologus
Type locality: Luhanga, Lake Tanganyika, Democratic Republic of Congo
Biotope: Rocky habitat rich in sediment.
Geographic distribution: N. leleupi is stated to occur on the Congolese coast north of Moba and up to the far north of the lake to Uvira.
Typical adult size: Up to about 10 cm in the lake; in aquarium conditions it may reach approximately 11–12 cm.
Recommended aquarium size: 200 L for a pair.
Aquarium setup: Provide many hiding places and caves. Because intraspecific aggression can be strong, it is best to keep only a single pair. A common approach is to start with several juveniles and remove extra individuals once a pair forms.
In a sufficiently large aquarium (recommended 300 L or more), it can be kept with other small to medium Tanganyika cichlids, such as Cyprichromis and Altolamprologus.
Diet: Carnivorous. Feeds mainly on crustaceans and other invertebrates picked from aufwuchs or from cracks and crevices among rocks. In aquarium, provide quality commercial foods and occasionally live or frozen foods such as mysis and krill.
Breeding: A substrate spawner with no known breeding season. Pair bonds are weak; after spawning the pair often separates after about a month, and in aquarium a male may mate with multiple females if available.
Spawning takes place inside a cave owned by the female, which lures the male inside. Eggs are laid on the cave wall and fertilized by the male. Typical clutch size is 50–100 eggs, sometimes more. The female guards the eggs inside the cave while the male patrols outside, but the male usually leaves the female and fry within a few weeks.
Aggression: Highly aggressive within the species. Toward other species it is often tolerant, but some individuals may become increasingly aggressive toward other fishes with age.
Special notes: A popular Tanganyika aquarium species due to its vivid coloration, which can rival that of some Lake Malawi cichlids. In the hobby, many fish sold as N. leleupi are actually N. longior, or hybrids between the two, linked to periods when N. longior was exported under the name “leleupi”.
Both N. leleupi and N. longior are described as showing polychromatism, with coloration varying within and among populations, ranging from yellow and grey to very dark forms; bright yellow to orange fish are especially popular in aquaria.
Body shape is emphasized as a key distinction: N. longior is more elongated and elegant, while N. leleupi is shorter and deeper-bodied. In older fish, N. leleupi may develop a small cranial hump that is not described for N. longior.

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Photo: © Ad Konings
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