Pearly Ocellatus
Lamprologus meleagris
Lamprologus meleagris (often considered synonymous with L. stappersi) is a highly territorial, shell-dwelling cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika. They display a greyish-brown mottled body with pearlescent spots. Males guard empty snail shells, which females utilize as intricate breeding caves and safe havens to rear their young.
Température de l’eau
24 - 28 °C
Valeur du pH
8 - 9
Type d'eau
Eau douce
Niveau dans le bac
Fond
Taille adulte
5 cm
Volume minimal du bac
>= 80 L
Groupe minimal
>= 1
GH
10 - 25 dGH
KH
10 - 20 dKH
TDS
250 - 575 ppm
Conductivité
391 - 898 uS/cm
Description de l'espèce
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Lake Tanganyika (Southern Congolese shore). Typical inhabitant of the deep sandy bottom. Often associated with L. stappersi, with which it shares a habitat devoid of natural visual barriers but rich in shells (Neothauma).
Taxonomy and Morphology: Pearly Ocellatus / Meleagris (Lamprologus meleagris). Small shell-dwelling Cichlid with a decidedly "pitbull" build: stocky and flattened snout, massive head compared to the body and fin posture often fanned out to intimidate.
Social Behavior: Pugnacious and unyielding. Builds its nest by sinking empty shells into the sand to bury them. The territory is sacred: it will attack by biting fish immensely larger than itself and even the breeder's hands.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The livery is velvety brown-beige, entirely studded with tiny iridescent light blue-whitish "pearls". The edge of the dorsal fin is white. Males (5 cm / 2 inches) are larger and brighter than females (3.5 cm / 1.4 inches).
Soins, reproduction et cohabitation
Aquarium Setup: Dense river sand bottom (at least 5-7 cm / 2-3 inches thick to allow the burial of the shells). Insert land snail or escargot shells in a 3:1 ratio to the fish. Omit stones, they don't care.
Diet and Feeding: Micro-predator. Particularly likes frozen meaty foods: mysis, brine shrimp, bloodworms. Almost totally ignores vegetable matter. If fed only dry food, the reproductive instinct and coloration go to zero.
Water Quality: Standard Rift values. Fears high nitrates (which cause fin rot) much more than a Ph slightly off target (as long as > 7.5). Requires regular water changes by siphoning the waste that does not enter the filter.
Compatibility and Cohabitation: To be kept in community tanks only if very long, so that its bottom territory does not hinder other Cichlids (e.g. Paracyprichromis or Julidochromis that stay on the rocks). Guaranteed lethal aggression towards other shell-dwellers.
Aquarium Breeding: Harem polygamy. The male controls the shells of several females in a circumscribed radius. Spawning happens in secret inside the shell. After 2 weeks, tiny fry will peek out, coming out only at the slightest sign of safety.
Risks and Diseases: Swim bladder (Bubbles in dry food). Un-soaked flake food swallowed eagerly at the surface can cause fatal air ingestion that irremediably overturns the meleagris.
Origine et répartition géographiques
Lake Tanganyika (Southern Congolese shore). Typical inhabitant of the deep sandy bottom. Often associated with L. stappersi, with which it shares a habitat devoid of natural visual barriers but rich in shells (Neothauma).
Origine
Afrique et Madagascar
Profil de poisson
- Tempérament
- Semi-aggressive
- Pound for pound, they are exceptionally aggressive and fearlessly territorial. They will readily attack the aquarist's hand during maintenance if it comes too close to their shell. Among conspecifics, fierce jaw-locking battles establish dominance and territorial boundaries.
- Régime alimentaire
- Carnivore
- They are strict carnivores that thrive on a protein-rich diet of small invertebrates. High-quality sinking cichlid micro-pellets make an excellent staple diet. They absolutely devour frozen baby brine shrimp, daphnia, and bloodworms with incredible enthusiasm.
- Espérance de vie
- 3-5 years
- Taille adulte
- 5 cm
- Ratio des sexes
- Harem
- They naturally form harems, and one male should ideally be housed with two to four females. Keeping multiple males in anything smaller than a 40-gallon breeder usually results in the weaker male being killed. Provide at least three empty shells per fish to minimize initial squabbling.
- Fréquence d'alimentation
- Twice daily
- Feeding them two very small meals a day is the optimal schedule for adults. Their small size dictates that they cannot eat large amounts of food at once. Overfeeding will not only foul the water but can also lead to serious digestive blockages.
- Charge biologique
- Low to Medium
- This stunning pearly shell dweller produces a very minimal bioload. Their tiny bodies and efficient digestion mean they contribute very little ammonia to the system. Maintaining excellent water quality is easy with a properly cycled sponge filter and routine maintenance.
- Courant
- Stagnant
- They prefer a calm environment with gentle to moderate water flow. Vigorous circulation can constantly blow sand into their shells and cause them significant stress. A standard sponge filter or a gently baffled hang-on-back filter is perfect.
- Risque de saut
- No
- Reproduction
- Oviparous
- They are highly dedicated shell spawners, requiring empty Neothauma or similar escargot shells to breed. The female lays her eggs deep inside the shell and rarely leaves until the fry are free-swimming. The male defends the broader territory with astonishing ferocity during this period.
- Compatibilité et compagnons
- Semi-aggressive
- They are intensely feisty and should only be kept with upper-water fish that will entirely ignore the substrate. Keeping them with other bottom-dwelling species almost always leads to severe, sometimes fatal, territorial disputes. Small, fast-moving dither fish are acceptable if the tank is adequately sized.
- Niveau dans le bac
- Bottom
- Their existence is entirely restricted to the lowest inch of the aquarium and the sandy substrate. They spend hours meticulously digging in the sand to bury their shells to the perfect depth. They almost never swim into the upper portions of the water column.
Modèles et paramètres scientifiques
FishBase
Fenêtre sur les données scientifiques officielles de l’espèce
FishBase v25.04Données synchronisées le : 15/06/2026
- Niveau trophique
- 3,6 ± 0,5 se
- Résilience
- Élevée (moins de 15 mois)
- Singularité phylogénétique (PD50)
- 0.5
- Relation bayésienne longueur-poids
- a = 0.01445, b = 2.99
- VulnérabilitéVulnérabilité faible (10 / 100)
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