Masked Julie

The Masked Julie is known from the north-western shore of Lake Tanganyika, where it is found in the shallow, sediment-rich rocky habitat. Here, their territories tend to be centred around cracks or fissures in the rocks and rubble. The natural diet consists primarily of small crustaceans, insect larvae, and molluscs picked from the algae-encrusted substrate, and occasionally, drifting plankton. The aquarium that houses this species should be at least 3ft long, with a good amount of filtration, water movement and oxygenation. The best choice of substrate would be coral sand or aragonite, which will help to keep the water hard and alkaline.

Omnivorous. Offer a good quality flake/green flake, slow-sinking pellets/granules, and small meaty frozen foods such as vitamin/Spirulina-enriched brineshrimp, daphnia, Mysis shrimp, mosquito larvae etc, along with some fresh vegetable matter.