Care
Neolamprologus buescheri is widely distributed across the southern half of Lake Tanganyika. Here, it is found in the deep, rocky habitat, where it spends most of its time in, or in close vicinity to, caves and crevices. The aquarium that houses this species should be at least 4ft long, with a good amount of filtration, water movement and oxygenation. The best choice of substrate would be coral sand or aragonite, which will help to keep the water hard and alkaline. Rocks should be used to create an abundance of caves and small nooks and crannies, preferably stacked several stories high - ensuring there are ample visual barriers. N. buescheri can be somewhat aggressive towards one another in the confines of the home aquarium, so broken lines of sight amongst the decor will help, as will providing a choice of several shelters per fish. Lighting should be subdued, but can be brighter if it is diffused by hardy planting. These cichlids are best maintained in a species-only aquarium, but, in larger quarters, can be kept as part of a Tanganyikan community with fish of similar size and temperament (although they should not be kept with shelldwellers). Unless the tank is of vast proportions, it is best to keep just one male in a harem situation with a large number of females, as in the confines of the home aquarium, the dominant male will bully subdominant males to death. If a pair forms, they will not stray far from their preferred cave, and will defend it vigorously from intruders. N. buescheri are intolerant of poor water conditions, so ensure small partial water changes are carried out on a frequent basis. Several geographic colour variants are available, including 'Cape Kachese', 'Chaitika', 'Gombe', 'Isanga Bay', 'Kamakonde', 'Moliro', and 'Tembwe II'. May also be seen on sale as the Striped Lamprologus.
Feeding
Flake, green flake, slow-sinking pellets/granules, frozen foods such as vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, Mysis shrimp, chopped krill, mosquito larvae etc.
Breeding
Cave spawner. The act of spawning often occurs secretly inside a cave chosen by the female, with green eggs deposited on the sides or ceiling of the cave. A typical brood size numbers around 10, with occasional larger spawns of 20 or so reported. The resultant fry are very well protected by the parents and will not venture far from the cave. They can be offered baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii) and microworm straight away. The young will be tolerated by the male for several weeks, however, once they attain a size of around 4cm, he will persistently and aggressively drive them away from his territory.
