GOLD OCELLATUS pictured below




These are juveniles .5” to 1” long.
$20/each.

My guide to Gold Ocellatus:
Gold Ocellatus are easy Tanganyikan shell-dwellers with tons of personality. They dig (finer the sand the better) and move things around to their liking. They will pick up shells, push them around & bury them. Any snail that gets close to their shell is promptly picked up & dumped away. They also constantly show off to each other. When mating, a pair will have dance battles around their shell.
They are pretty territorial & do best in a species only tank unless you have a large and tall tank allowing the other fish to stay away from the bottom where Ocellatus stay. They will take on any fish (any size) and any cleaning equipment that gets close to their shells.

Adult females are smaller (1.5”) than adult males (2”). They are hard to sex until they get to adult size.

Water chemistry & substrate— They need high pH & hard-water so keep it simple by using San Diego tap water & agronite sand. This combo is stable, easy to maintain & they love to dig in it. If you dont want to use the agronite as your substrate put some in your filter so you still get its buffering benefits. Then all you have to do is dechlorinate some tap water and add to tank. pH/Hardness done.
*Pro tip, I found they dig best in fine oolitic agronite sand. Thats right “oolitic”.

Shells— For more natural behavior 1-2” escargot or apple snail shells are best. These are light enough for them to move. Find them on Amazon. Alternatively you can also use 1” diameter capped plastic elbow pipes from Home Depot as “shells”. These elbow pipes make getting fish or fry easier than shells; just pop the cap off and dump them out. The Ocellatus just wont be able to move them around. Each Ocellatus needs at least 5” of personal space around their main shell to keep them neighborly. 3 shells per Ocellatus. No less. More yes.

Food —They eat everything & love crushed cichlid flakes & micro pellets under 1mm diameter. Just make sure the food has protein as the 1st ingredient.

That’s everything you need to know for success.
Any questions just ask.

I also have Neolamprologus Similis shell-dwellers. Same care as the Ocellatus with less territorial considerations. Ask me about them.

Text me anytime
828-719-776nine