Neolamprologus tretocephalus

With five thick black vertical bands on a bluish-white background, the tretocephalus is one of the most easily recognized Neolamprologus species of Tanganyika. It reaches 12–14 cm; a bright blue band along the fin edges completes the pattern. Because of its appearance it is confused with the sexfasciatus; the sexfasciatus has six bands and its background color usually leans toward yellow.

It is a strongly built, self-assured and territorial fish. With the right companions it becomes one of the characterful residents of a large Tanganyika aquarium; for poorly chosen small or calm species, however, it is a serious threat.

It lives along the lake's rocky shores and in transition zones where rock and sand mix. Pairs take a cave or the underside of a rock as their nest and defend the surrounding area. Among the rocks and on the sand it hunts invertebrates such as snails, small crustaceans and insect larvae.

• Volume: at least 200 liters and a length of 120 cm for a pair; 300 liters or more with other species.
• Rockwork: a few sturdy caves and rock groups that break lines of sight; every fish should have places to retreat to.
• Water: pH 8–9, hard and stable; a 25–30% water change every week.
• Substrate: fine sand; it digs deeply around its nest.

Carnivorous. A quality cichlid granule should be the staple; vary it with frozen mysis, krill, brine shrimp and small pieces of shrimp. Foods with shells suit its natural diet. Do not feed mammalian meat.

It defends a wide area around its cave. It is especially intolerant of its own species, the sexfasciatus and similarly banded fish. It hunts fish that fit in its mouth and fry; it also eats snails.

Good companions: Altolamprologus, large Julidochromis species, Cyprichromis (adult), Synodontis catfish; Tropheus in a large aquarium.

Avoid: the sexfasciatus and other banded Neolamprologus species, shell-dwelling cichlids, small and calm fish, shrimp and snails.

• Kept as a pair; more than one pair works only in a very large aquarium.
• 5–6 juveniles are grown up together and the pair that forms is chosen; pairing adults later is risky.
• Once the pair is established, the fry stay in the territory for a while, are chased as they grow and should be removed.
• In incompatible pairs the female can be badly injured; acclimating them with a divider helps.

The pair spawns inside a cave or under a stone. The female tends the eggs while the male guards the surroundings. The eggs hatch within a few days and the fry become free-swimming after about a week. They are fed newly hatched brine shrimp and powdered food; the parents protect the fry for a while.

• Hardy; the main problems are soft water, low pH and high nitrate.
• Bloat: seen with overfeeding and a monotonous diet.
• Fight wounds: unavoidable with unsuitable species or in a small aquarium.

Difficult from the outside. Males are usually larger and their forehead becomes more pronounced with age. A definite distinction is made by looking at the genital papilla.