Help Identifying Species of Shell Dweller

Danimal

New member
I got 2 of these shell dweller free off a guy on Facebook and need help identifying them. I have them in a 29 gallon I set up for shell dwellers. Are these Multies ? Or some other species? He said he wasn't sure. I want to know so I can look into adding a few more and so I know how to properly care for them. They didn't come out of their shell the first hour or two but now they're fairly active and doing well. thanks for any help! ;)

SHell1.jpg

Shell2.jpg
 
They look more like Lepidiolamprologus Meeli to me. Multis have tight stripes like this picture. Welcome to Cichlidaholics.

multis-shell-dweller-cichlid.webp
 
I think you're right. Hmmm. I cant seem to find an extensive amount of info on them. I wonder If I can mix in a breeding pair of multies with these 2 or if they can cross breed / hybrids
 
That camo pattern looks like Lepidiolamprologus hecqui (sometimes seen as called Neolamprologus hecqui). I had them for several years and they breed constantly. The female took fantastic care of the fry. The male stayed half the tank away and was not greatly involved in the direct care but he was on constant defense mode. The pair were horribly aggressive. There was zero tolerance for anyone else in a 40 breeder. Now they were wild caught but the offspring were not as bad.

My only question is the tannish coloring. It could be the pic. The camo pattern is dead on.
 
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