Tank Size:

A singleton or pair can be kept in a 20 gallon tank, a group should be kept in at least 50, with a lot of rockwork, these fish do not get along with each other very well, though are more accepting to their own species than other julidochromis species. They have a unique trait of letting their family members help raise newborn fry, but they often do not tolerate other dickfeldi's which are not directly related.

Feeding:

Give a good diet of omnivorous food, they feast on the aufwuchs in the wild.

Tank Mates:

Other small cichlid species of lake tanganyika. These fish will not tolerate tank mates when breeding, and are territorial, so they should not be kept with other rock dwelling cichlids in smaller setups.

Decor:

A lot of rocks. They'll hug onto the rocks, dig around the rocks, and do just about anything provided rocks are there.

Water Perimeters:

The temperature needs to stay at 78F, and pH at 8.0-9.0, with very hard water. They do not tolerate big changes in water perimeters and need very good quality water, and therefore are not advised to new fish keepers.

Sexing: Females get a little larger than males.

Other:

You will not see these fish leaving their territories often. They're very shy and should be kept in a low traffic area.