Neolamprologus multifasciatus
Neolamprologus multifasciatus is one of the small shell-dwelling cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika. The male reaches in length, and the female only in the aquarium. In the wild, they reach only in standard length of male and female reaches less than in standard length. This makes them one of the smallest cichlid species in the world. Its natural habitat is the "Neothauma" shell beds of Lake Tanganyika, where it forms huge colonies with thousands of individuals. Their unique behavior is associated with their affinity to shells. They burrow sand to move shells, take refuge in shells and  also breed in them. They have pale white coloring with black vertical bars running the length of their bodies. The species is sexually monomorphic, meaning sexing individuals is extremely hard or impossible based on external appearance alone (although size separates them when fully adult). Aquarium care. In the aquarium trade "N. multifasciatus" are commonly known as "multies" and are moderately popular. Stores specializing in fish or quality fish stores will at least be aware of shell dwelling fish even if they are not stocked at that time. They are not as popular as larger cichlids but because they are suitable  for smaller tanks and due to their prolific nature they still are widely available. Tank requirements are very similar to other African cichlids, an example is the Mbuna. Unique requirements include a sandy substrate for burrowing and the placement of shells. A tank should have at least one shell per fish, ideally two. Two other species of fish are similar to "N. multifasciatus"; "N. similis" and "N. brevis". The three species are similar enough that stores normally sell them all under the common name "shellies" or "shell dwellers".