fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I don't think they have. Males are bigger is about all I have to go on for sexing. Care is very similar to Shellies. They prefer a bit larger shells I think.
Alt. Compressiceps Sumbu Dwarf
- Thread starter fishguy1978
- Start date
Was doing some reading upon them and saw that these are quite long lived fish at 10 years and that the dont become sexually mature till 3…
I dont see these for sale as often. I would consider these myself for my potential shellie type tank. I saw one person had Paracyprichromis nigripinnis with his.
I dont see these for sale as often. I would consider these myself for my potential shellie type tank. I saw one person had Paracyprichromis nigripinnis with his.
Any shell-dweller plus the Paracyps would make for a really nice tank. Get the Paracyps to spawn and I will take the fry off your hands!
The person on the forum had these in a standard 29 gallon. He had 7 of each and they stayed out of each others way. Not to derail @fishguy1978 thread here but Im still looking at a combination for my 36"x12" foot print 30 gallon, would this work or do the Paracyps really need a bigger tank? 55gallon?Any shell-dweller plus the Paracyps would make for a really nice tank. Get the Paracyps to spawn and I will take the fry off your hands!
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
They would work together since the paracyps would stay up near the surface and the dwarves would claim the shells.
A 55g or larger would be better.
Well sure, Paracyprichromis would prefer a 55 or a 30B, but I think a regular 30 could work for maybe 2 males and 4 females. The shellies don't really figure into this discussion because their space requirements are so minimal.
I do need to point out, however, that Paracyprichromis are not open water fishes like Cyprichromis, and they do not stay near the surface; they are rock-dwellers. An example of a happy setup for Paracyprichromis in a small-ish tank can be found here-
https://www.amazonasmagazine.com/2018/07/27/paracyprichromis-nigripinnis-a-thing-of-beauty/
Give Paracyprichromis a try; if they don't work out for you I know a Tanganyika enthusiast who would be happy to take them off your hands.
@sir_keith, that was the article I was looking at. In his conclusion he said next time we would do large school and larger tank because he enjoyed them so much.
That would be awesome, and don't you have a 65B opening up soon?
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
That would be an awesome tank to use for L.T. cichlidsThat would be awesome, and don't you have a 65B opening up soon?
That would be awesome, and don't you have a 65B opening up soon?
lol, now you guys are tag teaming me to join the African cichlid club!That would be an awesome tank to use for L.T. cichlids
@fishguy1978, Instead of asking this on my own 'shell dweller thread' I wanted to ask here about these guys, since its a bit more specific.
Are these fish shy? I guess basically are they hiders?
How many would/should I do in my 30 gallon if I did it as a species only tank?
Would you recommend these as a first time shellie fish or something else?
Are these fish shy? I guess basically are they hiders?
How many would/should I do in my 30 gallon if I did it as a species only tank?
Would you recommend these as a first time shellie fish or something else?
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
These are shy. I get to see them when I feed but the rest of the time they lurk out of sight.
If you were to do a species tank I would start with 6 so that you have a reasonable chance at a pair.
I think you probably could. You maintain clean healthy tanks so shouldn't be an issue.
Thanks for that.
Sand City Cichlids had them at $18 each, but for $22 you can get the same fish but F1. For just a couple bucks more getting the F1 is well worth it to me. I just dont want fish that are too high of maintenance or extremely shy.
Sand City Cichlids had them at $18 each, but for $22 you can get the same fish but F1. For just a couple bucks more getting the F1 is well worth it to me. I just dont want fish that are too high of maintenance or extremely shy.
Last edited:
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
I would be very tempted to join in on an order if you do, especially some F1s.
I will let you know. Im also considering another shell dweller. I just need to prep the tank and make up my mind, lol
So for fun I looked at the website adding 6 of the shellies I wanted and 2 of the Sumbu dwarves and the shipping is UPS 1 day flat rate $65 or $68.72 for UPS 1 day. Not sure on difference. A bit high on shipping with places like Wet Spot and Imperial doing $30 next day. Have not ruled it out but kind of pricey.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
One of the right siders.
The left siders.
The left siders.
fishguy1978
Legendary Member
55g