Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Neolamprologus furcifer

Neolamprologus furcifer "Cape Chaitika"

Cape Chaitika — KAYP chah-ee-TEE-kah (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 furcifer account →

Specific to Cape Chaitika

  • 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 furcifer.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5.9 in15 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH8–9alkaline
Depth7–131 ft2–40 m
DietAquatic insect larvae (including mayfly nymphs), small crustaceans, endemic shrimp (Limnocaridina latipes), fish eggs; benthic micro-predator foraging in rock crevices
Breedingcave spawner~50 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesMales grow larger; old males develop a modest nuchal hump; sexes otherwise difficult to distinguish by eye
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Cape Chaitika population

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

Colour reference: living Cape Chaitika fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Neolamprologus furcifer is a slender, big-eyed cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it haunts the lightless cracks and overhangs of the rocky shore and is often seen clinging belly-up to the undersides of boulders. A solitary, secretive predator of small invertebrates, it is best known for an extraordinary piece of parenting: females raise broods of striped fry that masquerade as the lake's snails, and even manage the snail population around the nest to keep the disguise convincing. It is a demanding aquarium fish rather than a beginner's cichlid, prized by Tanganyikan specialists for its behavior rather than flashy color.

Full Neolamprologus furcifer account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Neolamprologus furcifer "Cape Chaitika"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Neolamprologus furcifer
  3. FishBase — Neolamprologus furcifer summary
  4. FishBase — Food and Feeding Habits, Neolamprologus furcifer (Yuma et al. 1998)
  5. Kullander, Norén, Karlsson & Karlsson (2014) — Description of Neolamprologus timidus, new species, and review of N. furcifer from Lake Tanganyika
  6. Satoh et al. (2017) — Parental females of a nest-brooding cichlid improve and benefit from the protective value of young masquerading as snails (Animal Behaviour)