Furry Diary

Not furry, but we like them anyway.

Multies

Neolamprologus multifasciatus (Boulenger, 1906)

Also called Multi, Shellies, Multifasciatus Shell Dweller

SpeciesShort profile

From Endemic to Lake Tanganyika, living on sandy beds of empty snail shells (usually around 6 to 12 m deep).123

At a glance the quick version

Length2.5 to 5 cm213
Sizesmall
Lives in lively colonies
Very small, fits modest tanks
Constantly busy digging and rearranging shells
23

Looks how to spot one

Tiny shell-dwelling cichlid

One of the tiniest cichlids, with a pale body marked by many thin vertical bars. Males grow noticeably bigger than females and show stronger colour with a reddish tint on the top of the dorsal fin.32

Colourspale beige with many thin vertical barsmore intense colour in malesreddish tint on the upper dorsal fin in males3

Personality what they are like

Bold for its size and very territorial around its patch of shells, and may even nip a hand that intrudes. Neighbours settle into a busy colony.31

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Always on the move, digging sand and shifting shells around its territory.2

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Provide more empty shells than fish and keep the water clean and stable.3

Home where they are happiest

From about 40 litres (45 x 30 x 30 cm) for a pair, larger for a colony. Deep sand (at least 5 cm) and many empty snail shells. Temperature 24 to 27 C, pH 7.5 to 9.0, hardness 8 to 25 dGH.321

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Picks plankton drifting above the colony. Feed mainly small live and frozen foods; dry foods are usually accepted.13

Company who they like around

A colony species; keep more females than males and give every fish its own shell.31

The story where it all began

Described by Boulenger in 1906, this shell dweller became a hobby favourite because whole colonies can be kept and watched in small aquariums.13

Fun facts for the dinner table

  1. 1

    It is often called the smallest known cichlid; wild males reach only about 3 cm.2

  2. 2

    Wild colonies can number in the thousands.2

  3. 3

    Unlike most cichlids it has only one nostril on each side of the head.2

  4. 4

    Tests show it prefers intact shells, especially larger or wider-mouthed ones.2

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List
Not Evaluated (per FishBase)1
Taxonomy
Described by Boulenger in 19061

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Multies. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

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Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

  1. FishBase: Neolamprologus multifasciatus fishbase.seused for size, depth, water, diet, describer
  2. Wikipedia: Neolamprologus multifasciatus en.wikipedia.orgused for other names, size by sex, colonies, shell research, nostril fact
  3. Seriously Fish: Neolamprologus multifasciatus seriouslyfish.comused for care, tank, behaviour, dimorphism, breeding

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.