Neolamprologus elongus (old name N. brichardi) is an African Cichlid that is native to Lake Tanynika. There are many other species in this genus that live under similar conditions. They live in rock area is large colonies. They form extended families with the older fry helping to raise there younger siblings. The fish is a tan color with an elongated body shape irridescent line on each side of the tail fin. They males and females are almost identical in appearance. The males tend to get slight larger.

Spawning: This is species is a cave spawner. They prefer a pot, ceramic cave, or a pile of rocks that form a cave. You seldom see them spawn. You can only tell that they are guarding a territory. The female will spend lots of time inside fanning the eggs. They are usually hanging down from the roof are of the cave.  They fry hanging inside the cave for a few days absorbing the egg yolk. They will start to  swim outside  with the parents guarding them. When they are newly hatched they are very tiny almost invisible. You will notice a swarm of them at first. Usually the first time that you see them is when the babies are swimming outside. The older siblings seem to tolerant the young fry and help guard them from predators. They will usually spawn again in a couple of weeks. In the wild a colony of thousands in not a rare sight.


Water: They prefer hard alkaline water 7.8 ph or slightly higher. The water should be partial changed every week. I would recommend 30% every week.

Food: They will eat flake food greedily. They also like live food Daphnia, Brine Shrimp, Grindal worms, Bloodworm. You should not overfeed with meaty food. There is a common disease in African Cichlid that is called "Bloat". It is usually tied to over feeding with meaty items. They will graze algae on the sides of the tank.

Tank Decoration or Furniture: They need to have large rocks and or caves to hid in and feel comfortable. There are also some neat cichlid caves that are available on eBay. My tank has both ceramic caves and red slate rocks. When putting rocks in the tank make sure they are safe for the aquarium. They cannot contain metals which will dissolve and hurt or kill the fish. You can buy these from a local pet store. Shipping rocks through the mail can be expensive. You can have either bare tank or gravel. It is easier to clean a tank with a bare bottom.

Aquarium size: The bigger the tank the better. Hopefully will start breeding and fill up the tank. I would suggest 30 gallon tank or bigger.

Tank Mates: These do best in a species tank. They will tend to fight with another tank mates. They do fight with each other. This the main reason to have hiding places to allow the fish places coexist. They are might cross with other species. I have seen photos of a cross with this and Juliochromis species.

Filtration: I use either a power filter on the side or sponge filter. I like to have both going since if one system is down the other will be working.

Plants: Cichlids can be hard on plants. They like to dig up plants.  I keep floating plants ( Java Moss and Hornwort ) in their with them. They are tough plants that are not eaten by the fish.

There are an interesting fish. I find them attractive. There are many African Cichlids being kept in tank today. If you can find some that are tanks raised they are more likely to survive for years.