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I acquired 7 of these feisty little cichlids in early March of this year and tried to learn as much as I could about them from the internet and other people. I found that all that is really out there is that they are Tangs and that they are extremely aggressive. One person even went so far as to call them “the bulldogs” of the cichlid world. Now I would love to say that he was lying or telling us a fine story, but I too have seen the dark side that would scare a lot of fish keepers that have kept Tangs in the past.  Are they the monsters that some people lead me to thinking they are? I think not! Just like every other little fish out there they are just fighting for their little corner of the world to live in.

These fish are endemic to Lake Tanganyika in the rift valley of Africa. They prefer a ph of  7.2-8.6 with a temp range of 66-85. They form pairs for breeding, but harems are reported in hobby setups. They use shells for spawning but after the eggs hatch the fry are raised on the sand bed in a very unorganized manner. Colony life style is reported with this species and the fry do not need to be removed from the parents as they raise them and then in turn help to raise subsequent batches of fry. As with all shell dwellers these fish will guard their shells to the death and will chase a lot of fish three times their size away with little to no thought of self preservation beforehand.