Snail cichlid gold - Lamprologus ocellatus - DNZ single specimen

From Lake Tanganyika comes the Lamprologus ocellatus, a small golden snail cichlid that prefers to live in snail shells. These cute fellows are largely peaceful and interesting aquarium inhabitants that you could watch for hours. Even more, their undemanding nature makes them very appealing to aquarists.

You get our Golden Snail Cichlids in pairs, moreover they are German offspring.

With a size of about 7 cm the Golden Snail Cichlids stay a little smaller, the females also stay a little behind the males. They have a golden-yellow ground color, which can shimmer iridescent depending on the incidence of light. There is a black spot on the gill covers. All fins are transparent yellow, but may have yellow and black fin seams.

Breeding in the aquarium is possible if they are comfortable. They also lay their spawn in snail shells. During breeding, the male may be territorial in places and defend his territory while the female guards the spawn. The fry can be raised on freshly hatched Artemia nauplii.

Golden snail cichlids can be kept well in aquariums of 54 liters or larger. The substrate should consist of fine sand or gravel with a medium grain size, a planting plays a rather subordinate role you can consist of perching plants such as Anubia or very strongly rooted stem plants. Since the animals, as their name already reveals about them, live in snail shells, they should be provided with at least three to four empty shells per fish. Stone structures that are secured against falling over so that the fish do not accidentally undermine them are a good way to create territorial markers, burrows, and also visual contact. Especially calcareous perforated rocks are very suitable for this purpose, as these perches prefer alkaline water. Since the animals are busy digging in or out of their dens, plants could possibly be affected. Their aquarium water should be well maintained and have a pH between 7.8 and 8.5. The animals feel most comfortable at a temperature of 25 and 27 °C, they also tolerate temperatures above this, however, additional aeration should then be ensured in order to increase the oxygen input in the aquarium.

Lamprologus ocellatus is in and of itself a peaceful aquarium inhabitant, which can be socialized well, provided that its special needs are taken into consideration. Since it tends to live on the bottom, fish from other water zones with similar husbandry parameters are suitable. A socialization with shrimps or crayfish should rather be refrained from, because the one could increase the menu and the other could possibly threaten the perch and nip at their fins.

As carnivores, which feed in their habitat on small crustaceans and worms, but also mollusks, Golden Snail Cichlids can also be well cared for in the aquarium. The cichlids can be fed several times a day with small amounts without problems. Preferred are live and frozen foods, such as Gammaruscyclops, Mysis, but also Krill, Daphnia and Artemia. Their diet should be very varied and may also include commercial granulated food or for carnivorous ornamental fish.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic Cichfeed is a great staple food for all carnivorous cichlids in the aquarium, which perfectly meets their requirements for food composition. The tasty pearls are also very well eaten by larger cichlids. Thanks to their soft texture, NatureHolic Cichfeed food pearls are gentle on the mouth and can be eaten very well by the fish.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planaria and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.