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Background
The first thing to be addressed about this rare shelldweller is its name. Although I generally refer to it as Lepidiolamprologus hecqui and this seems to be the most commonly used name, the current accepted name is Neolamprologus hecqui. Since its close relatives boulangeri and meeli are both Lepidiolamprologus I suspect hecqui will soon be as well. 
Hecqui is a larger shellie, reaching at least 3" although females are smaller, often half the size of the males. They have a changeable blotching that tends to appear when they scrap and eat - and especially when they combine the two. The caudal is attractively lined and in the right light the fish is fairly spangled with iridescent blue.
This fish is quite aggressive and easily holds its own in a tank of fairly aggressive Tangs. Juveniles are happy to use rocks along with shells, particularly lower-ranking individuals in a group.
Care
Though proportionally speaking, I suspect an occie could take down a hecqui, the latter are larger and stronger. They can take care of themselves very effectively and seem to use that power primarily to get food - they LOVE their food. Unlike most shellies, they're more than happy to pick spilled food off of the ground and just as willing to snatch it from the surface. Their blotching stands out strongly at feeding time, and they display and dart attractively.
A larger tank is necessary, but a 20 long will be quite enough for a pair. In a larger tank they'll live well with a wide variety of rockdwellers if introduced at the right time, and generally leave topdwellers alone, though feeding at separate ends of the tank may be a good idea. Breeding pairs can be more threatening, of course, but again most rockdwellers can hold their own. 
Hecqui are accomplished diggers and deserve sand. The top male will happily bury any shells not claimed as his own but is rarely of the type to bury fish inside of them.
Sexing
Sexing hecqui is, sadly, close to impossible. The best bet is to buy a group and let them pair off, but even that isn't foolproof! Males can be larger, sometimes have a more "aggressive" facial shape, and sometimes stronger blotching, but none of that is by any means enough to sex them accurately.
Breeding
Hecqui live best in pairs but in larger tank harems may work. Breeding and fry rearing is as per most shellies: they're fairly prolific, and will happily and easily raise their own fry until the young start to look and act like threatening fellow adults. Growth rate is slightly faster than in the smaller shellies.
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Scientific name: Neolamprologus hecqui
Common names: Hecqui
Synonyms: Lepidiolamprologus hecqui, Lamprologus hecqui
Origin: Lake Tanganyika, Africa (Burundi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia)
Niche: Bottom, mud and shell-dwelling
Optimal pH: 7.6+
Optimal GH: 10-20 degrees
Optimal temperature: 75-78F (23-26C)
Adult length: Males 3"(8cm), females 1.5"(4cm)
Diet: Carnivore, micropredator
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