NEOLAMPROLOGUS BUESCHERI
Neolamprologus buescheri, Striped Lamprologus, is a cichlid of Lake Tanganyika that inhabits areas of shoreline with rocky substrate from Tembwe on the west coast, around the southern part of the lake, to Samasi on the eastern side. Several geographic morphs are available from other areas of the lake, including "gombi," "cachese," "kamakonde," and "zaire."
Neolamprologus buescheri are found in depths of 15 to 40 meters along rocks and very rocky areas. They live in crevices, cracks in rocks and among fallen rocks at the foot of cliffs. Often their habitat is in very oxygen-poor areas.
According to many aquarists Lamprologus busheri is a very aggressive fish both towards its own kind and the fish around it, it is incredibly difficult to mate and difficult to spawn. Keeping these fish is recommended to trained aquarists.
Sexual differences are poorly expressed - males and females look the same. However, the aggressive nature of males makes it fairly easy to determine their sex when observing over a period of time. The maximum size is 7 cm.
Neolamprologus buescheri is one of the most aggressive and territorial species in aquariums. Keep these fish are best kept in a species aquarium. Each male should keep a few females to reduce his ardor towards them. If the male is not very large, the best solution is to keep only one male. The females in the aquarium will create small territories that are inside the male's territory. If the aquarium is large, you can keep Lamprologus buscherus together with other tropical fish species.
To keep Lamprologus Buscher requires an aquarium of 250 liters or more with lots of rocks and rocks that form caves and crevices in which the fish could hide. Settled in the aquarium fish will be strictly kept in their territory, swimming out of its limits only during feeding.
As the substrate used by small gravel or sand. The perimeter of the aquarium should be densely planted with aquarium plants.
Water parameters: temperature 24-28 ° C, hardness dH 8-25 °, pH 7,5-9,0. Requires filtration, aeration and weekly replacement of 1/5 of the aquarium water with fresh.
Lighting is subdued, lasting about 10 hours a day.
The menu of fish are live and frozen daphnii, Artemia nauplii and chironomid. Fish eat dried food reluctantly. Feed given twice a day.
Reproduction
Breeding Lamprologus buscheri is quite problematic because of the aggressive nature of the dominant fish.
If you get the opportunity to purchase sexed fish, try to purchase one male and several females. If this is not an option, then get a group of juvenile fish and raise them further. Be prepared for some losses, as the sub-dominant males are likely to fight each other until only one dominant male remains.
The water temperature in the aquarium is raised to 28 ° C, while its pH should be at 8.2-9.0.
The females select their own caves for spawning. Subsequently, the male does not allow them to leave the vicinity of their hiding places. The spawning takes place very secretly in the cave of the chosen female, and she lays eggs on its wall or on the roof. It is often very difficult to tell if they have spawned until the fry are spotted. After spawning, the female will care for the eggs. The male does not care for the brood.
The fry are large enough to eat artemia nauplii from their first days of life. When they leave the cave, the male will chase them, so it is recommended to put the fry in another aquarium. The fry are fed 4 times a day.
Life expectancy Lamprologus buscheri in an aquarium environment is 5-8 years.
