Among the snail-dwelling cichlids of Lake Tanganyika are some species that look very much alike and in some cases it remains still unclear whether the scientific name applied on them is correct or not.
Neolamprologus meeli has been described in 1948 by Max Poll from a place near Katibili which belongs to the Congolese part of the lake. The species is very similar to N. boulengeri and N. hecqui. The three species have in common the black borders of the fins.
There is a lot of discussion, if the species kept and bred in the hobby under the name of Neolamprologus or Lepidolamprologus meeli “Zambia” really belongs to that species or represents a colour variety of hecqui. However, it is of much more interest for aquarists that the fish is beautiful and a perfect tankmate for any Tanganyika aquarium.
Male become around 7 cm in length, females stay about 2 cm smaller. In this species mainly the females use the empty snail shell as a hiding place.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | Nachzucht / bred |
| Verfügbare Größe in cm | 5-7 |
