Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Neolamprologus caudopunctatus

Neolamprologus caudopunctatus "Muzi"

Muzi — MOO-zee (approx.)

The fish

How this cichlid is built, and everything about how it lives, eats and breeds, is shared with the species — this page doesn't repeat it.

Read the full Neolamprologus caudopunctatus account →

Specific to Muzi

  • Collection locality & coordinates
  • Local coloration — best judged from the living-fish photo
  • Kept as a single-provenance line, never crossed with other collection points

Care facts below are the species' — shared with Neolamprologus caudopunctatus.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size3 in7.5 cm total length
Temperature73–84 °F23–29 °C
pH7.5–8.8alkaline
Depth3–131 ft1–40 m
DietZooplanktivore; picks small crustaceans and zooplankton from the water column above substrate; opportunistic micro-invertebrate feeder.
BreedingSubstrate spawner / cave brooder.~handful to 100+ eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesMales slightly larger with longer pelvic fins and more saturated dorsal margin; females slightly rounder; differences subtle and difficult to distinguish in juveniles.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Muzi population

Neolamprologus caudopunctatus "Muzi" is the Muzi population of Neolamprologus caudopunctatus, a geographic colour form from the Tanzania coast of Lake Tanganyika in the central part of the lake. It is the same species as Neolamprologus caudopunctatus, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Muzi fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Neolamprologus caudopunctatus is a small, pearl-flecked cichlid from the southern reaches of Lake Tanganyika, where loose colonies hover a meter or so above sand-and-rubble bottoms picking zooplankton from open water. Cream-bodied with a yellow-edged dorsal fin and blue-rimmed eyes, it earns its name from the constellation of light-catching spots on its tail. In the wild it is a cave spawner that digs nest pits beneath rocks; in the aquarium it readily adopts a shell or flowerpot instead, which has made it one of the more approachable dwarf Tanganyikans for hobbyists.

Full Neolamprologus caudopunctatus account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Neolamprologus caudopunctatus "Muzi"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: caudopunctatus, Lamprologus (Poll 1978)
  3. FishBase: Neolamprologus caudopunctatus (Poll, 1978)
  4. GBIF: Neolamprologus caudopunctatus (Poll, 1978)
  5. O'Reilly et al. 2003, Climate change decreases aquatic ecosystem productivity of Lake Tanganyika (Nature)
  6. Cohen et al. 2016, Climate warming reduces fish production and benthic habitat in Lake Tanganyika (PNAS)