Hecq’s Shelldweller (Lepidiolamprologus hecqui)

What the hecqui is a Hecq’s Shelldweller, you ask…

That’s a good question, and one which scientists still don’t have a great answer for. This species is one of the many small, elongated cichlids from Lake Tanganyika that have taken to breeding in the shells of a single species of large resident snail, Neothauma tanganyicense. A number of different groups share this habit, including Neolamprologus, Lamprologus, Telmatochromis, Lepidiolamprologus, and even some Altolamprologus. The problem is we don’t really understand how all of these are related, and there’s strong evidence that the names currently in use don’t accurately reflect their evolutionary origins.

This problem is especially acute when it comes to Lepidolamprologus, as studies have indicated that the hodgepodge of fishes included here, roughly 11 in total, are often distant relatives. This shouldn’t be terribly surprising, as the group varies wildly in size, from species measuring in at just a few inches in length to beasts over a foot long. And these larger species are, not surprisingly, far too big to breed in shells, providing another major distinction within this artificial group. Expect major changes to their taxonomy in the years to come.

Hecq’s Shelldweller is one of the smallest of these species, coming in at just under three inches, and it is often treated in aquarium and scientific literature as a member of the genus Neolamprologus (to which it is indeed closely related). There are “shellies” that measure under two inches, and many that stay around 2.5 inches, but Hecq’s is more like a mid-sized example, topping out at just over 3 inches. At this size, they can be a bit more destructive compared to their smaller cousins, and aquarists with breeding groups of this fish have described it as the “pitbull of shellies”. Even in relatively large aquariums, a dominant male may decide to take over, bullying all other subordinate males (and any other species not to its liking).

Males are the larger sex, with females staying closer to the typical 2-inch size for this group. An ideal aquarium set-up will have several females per male and several shells per fish. These can be either their native Neothauma shells (which can be found for sale online or from specialist breeders) or a reasonable facsimile can be provided by the snails used for escargot, whose shells are also widely available from specialty grocers. There’s no point to keeping these fishes without their shells, as there’s great fun in marveling over their gastropod-inspired behavioral antics.

It is possible to keep other robust fishes alongside them, particularly those that swim higher up in the water column (e.g. Aulonocara), and particularly others from Lake Tanganyika (e.g. Tropheus). In aquariums with a large enough footprint, it is possible to keep other benthic types, like Julidochromis and Altolamprologus and some of the other Neolamprologus that don’t rely on shells (e.g. N. brichardi), provided the rockscape preferred by these species is kept distant from the shells. This might still prove troublesome when the shellies begin breeding, as territorial males can be surprisingly pugnacious. They’ve been described as “the bravest fish in the world” for this reason, eagerly attacking far larger creatures who approach their territories, up to and including divers and aquarists.