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Background
Neolamprologus brevis is one of the smallest cichlids on earth - in fact, a probable variant of the species, N. brevis "Dwarf" that was recorded in Lake Tanganyika on the coast of Tanzania by Ad Konings in 1998 is probably the smallest cichlid in existence. Unfortunetly, that trip was mainly for the collection of a certain Tropheus location, so there are no Dwarf brevis on the market now as far as I know - although they may be going by another name. Normal brevis were first collected in 1979. Baensch and Rudiger report that L. taeniurus is a synonym, but I've never heard that used. The species doesn't really have a common name other than "brevis" but occasionally people call them sunspot shelldwellers, zebra shelldwellers, and similar things.
As for the normal types, there are a few varieties and locations available at the moment. Mine are N. brevis "Lunangwa", chosen because it looks like a middleground between the other popular types, Zebra Mtoto and Ikola Sunspot. These are often sold without the location name. The Zebras have much more defined barring (like my males when they're not breeding), and the females retain it (breeding Lunangwa females lose essentially all of their barring). The Sunspots are a lovely beige color with a yellow "sunspot" on their bellies - my females resemble that look very closely when they're in breeding colors.
Pronunciation - Nee-oh-lamb-prah-loh-gus bree-vihs or breh-vihs. Technically, by the way, the plural is breves - but no one uses that, so forget it.
Care
Brevis are territorial fish - but their territories are tiny, usually 6" or so in diameter. This makes for amusing visuals, as one fish chases another for three inches or so and then gives up. I tested this in my 10 - allowing almost 12 shells for two fish, the female chose one 8" from the male's. (I then removed all but one extra to better replicate their habitat). Therefore, brevis are one of the best shelldwellers for a community tank, and I don't just mean a Tanganyikan community. Any hard-water tank with sand as a substrate, a few shells, and no fish that could injure the brevis can make a great home for a pair or small group. Livebearers make good additions to a shelldweller tank - they like the water conditions, can provide free live food, and don't harrass the shellies.
To be fair, I should mention that there are a few animals the Brevis will go out of their way to bite and harrass: people. I've seen nary a ripped fin, but I invariably get a nip or two when I work in their tank. The pain is over in second but the shock stays with you!
Most of the areas in the lake that brevis inhabit are suprisingly bare of shells. Like other shelldwellers, they inhabit the abandoned shells of the Neothauma snails in the wild, but, in their shell-sparse areas, they've developed a slightly different system: cohabitation. The male and female "move in" and the male protects the female and fry as well as his territory. In my tank they clearly cohabit but, oddly, move from their primary home in his shell back into hers for brief periods. Although I believe they've laid eggs in his, they visit hers. I believe this may be a result of the lack of other fish in the tank - they've taken over completely and moved into a second house in the neighborhood!
Brevis, like almost all of the shelldwellers, really need sand. Without it, they can't dig their shells into just the right position to rush in at a moment's notice, much less spawn successfully. Besides, missing out on the digging and rearranging of shelldwellers is like keeping an oscar and never tossing him a ping-pong ball - where's the fun?
Obviously, they also need shells. Since the Neothauma shells, while available, are terribly expensive, it's nice that there are other options. My top vote goes to escargot shells, the extra-large size. These are fairly easy to get by calling gourmet stores, groceries, and seafood markets - if all else fails, call your local french restaurant and ask! If you're lucky, you may even get some canned escargot with them - just use an escargot dish and not your shells to prepare them, the oil's a hassle and a half to remove without soap. Other shells that work include turbo shells, commonly sold in pet stores for hermit crabs (make sure they're good-sized, about 2" across) and shells of similar types found in craft stores. My only problem with craft store shells, other than the generally unnatural colors, is that they're usually too small - given the choice, almost any fish will choose a larger escargot shell. Oh, and my little story: I picked up a large selection of escargot shells while I was in France (either there's a nasty snail disease in the area or no one else has touched the shells for years - there were hundreds just lying about everywhere in a village we stayed in!). Most are too dirty to use just yet but one was good-sized and clean, so I dropped it in the 44 - and now a young brevis is living in it! Not quite the same as collecting my own Neothauma shells in Africa or some such, but I'm proud anyway.
Basic water requirements: pH of 7.6 or higher, GH of 8 or higher. Shellies seem to like it hot - 78-80 is fairly normal. Keep nitrates low, but they're fairly hardy, especially captive-bred brevis. Just a nice 25% water change a week, a good filter (sponge filters are common, but I find fry are perfectly safe with a small power filter since they stay close the the shell until they're large enough to escape the pull), and they really take care of themselves.
A warning: although the small tank size required (I don't have any problem recommending this species as a pair in a 5 gallon, although of course a 10 is preferred) allows for these guys to be a desktop cichlid, I can guarantee they'll distract you quite a bit. Also, they're more retiring than the other shellies I've kept, so they may not love an area full of activity.
Breeding 
Provide sand, shells, water, and fish of both sexes. Wait.
Seriously though - breeding shelldwellers is no more of a challenge than keeping them is. Adult fish will produce fry, there's no stopping them. The first spawn may not make it (although you'll probably never know - most likely the fry will die or the female will eat them long before they venture out of the shell), and the first few batches may be quite small, but they'll get going soon enough! The eggs are laid in the shell and fetilized by the male. They take about a week to hatch and another week to leave the shell to check out the wider world - you may not know your fish have bred until some tiny face pokes out to look at you. They feed themselves remarkably well, but if you want to supplement for better growth, try crushed flake, newly hatched brine shrimp, microworms, and other small foods. Males may be driven to the corners if there isn't enough space, but don't expect torn fins or fish being forcefully starved unless the tank is woefully overstocked - pull them out if they lack a shell, it won't get worse than that and that's stressful enough for them.
Brevis are perhaps the easiest shellie to sex - just look at the tails. Females have stripes in their tails that aren't as well-defined or disappear altogether near the end - males' tails have distinct barring right to the tip. This isn't foolproof (young males sometimes have bad barring) but it's pretty close. There's also a size difference, like with the other shellies, but this is less readily apparent with juveniles than other species.
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Scientific name: Neolamprologus brevis
Common names: Brevis shelldweller
Synonyms: Lamprologus brevis, Lamprologus taeniurus
Origin: Lake Tanganyika, Africa (Burundi, Tanzania, Republic of Congo, Zambia)
Niche: Bottom, shell-dwelling
Optimal pH: 7.6+
Optimal GH: 10-20 degrees
Optimal temperature: 75-78F (23-26C)
Adult length: 3"(8cm)
Diet: Carnivore, micropredator
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