Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Neolamprologus tretocephalus

Neolamprologus tretocephalus "Bulu Point"Five-bar cichlid

Neolamprologus tretocephalus (Bulu Point, Cape Tembwe, Halembe, Kaswente Bay, Katondo Point, Cape Mpimbwe, Katonga, Kekese, Kigoma, Mawimbi, Mkuyu, Muloba Bay)

Bulu Point — BOO-loo POYNT (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 tretocephalus account →

Specific to Bulu Point

  • 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 tretocephalus.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesNeolamprologus tetracanthusdescribed as Lamprologus tetracanthus Boulenger 1899
Scientific size6 in15 cm total length
Temperature75–79 °F24–26 °C
pH7.6–8.5alkaline
Habitat waterhard · 600–690 µS/cmLake Tanganyika
Depth3–33 ft1–10 m
DietBenthic invertebrate feeder; insect larvae, crustaceans, and gastropods; durophagous — strong pharyngeal teeth for crushing snails.
BreedingCave substrate spawner.~200–300 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesMales grow noticeably bigger and heavier-headed than females; no dramatic difference in fin shape or color.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Bulu Point population

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

Colour reference: living Bulu Point fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Neolamprologus tretocephalus, the five-bar cichlid, is a stocky rock-dweller endemic to the northern half of Lake Tanganyika, instantly recognizable by the five bold black bars on a pearly blue-grey body. It is a snail-crushing carnivore of the shallow rocky shore and a famously belligerent fish, capable of holding territory against far larger tankmates. Long mistaken for a peaceful dwarf because of its modest size, it is in fact one of the more uncompromising lamprologines an aquarist can keep.

Full Neolamprologus tretocephalus account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Neolamprologus tretocephalus "Bulu Point"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Neolamprologus tretocephalus
  3. FishBase: Neolamprologus tretocephalus (Boulenger, 1899)
  4. GBIF: Neolamprologus tretocephalus
  5. Encyclopedia of Life: Neolamprologus tretocephalus
  6. O'Reilly et al. 2003, Climate change decreases aquatic ecosystem productivity of Lake Tanganyika (Nature; PubMed)
  7. IUCN Red List — Neolamprologus tretocephalus "Bulu Point"
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