Shell dwellers

[DMD123]

Been looking at different shell dwellers with the possibility of turn my 36” x 12” footprint, 30 gallon into a tank for them. Is it me or is the shell dweller site Cory had gone? I cant seem to find it anymore.

Should mention that I dont want just shell dwellers in the tank. Maybe a small syno cat of some sort and a couple other small rock type cichlid in this mix.

Would appreciate stock ideas…

 

[sir_keith]

You could keep a few of the smaller/less aggressive Neolamprologus (such as N. caudopunctatus) or Julidichromis (such as J. transcriptus Gombe) with 2-3 pairs of shell dwellers. For a tank like this, I'd go with a shell dweller that forms long-term pair bonds, and my favourite among these is Neolamprologus brevis. The Wet Spot has all of these in stock at the moment. I'd totally skip the Synodontis; there's just not enough bottom space to go around. Good luck!

Neolamprologus caudopunctatus-



Julidichromis transcriptus Gombe-



Neolamprologus brevis-

 

[lloyd378]

Fishguy1978 hooked me up with a colony of multies …. At first glance they aren’t the most striking, but then you noticed their bright blue eyes.
My two large males passed away within a few weeks of each other but the young bucks took over and I have fry for the time being.

I also have an alto calvus and also a syno cat, but I’ll probably be removing both as my fry don’t typically make it once they start venturing out away from the colony ( someone likes multies fry snacks).

I think I currently have 10 multies and then the two others mentioned above.

I am hoping Fishguy1978 might want my alto calvus since I think it’s the culprit .

I’d really like my colony to grow!

I did see some pretty shell dwellers at Martin Henry’s recently ( but I heard they were more aggressive then my multies so I didn’t but any).

my colony has about 50 XL escargot shells to hide in as well as a few lace rocks, some large full fake plants from AP. Tank is the special 50g 48” by 15” by 19” tall.

I’ll grab a video for you, but I know you have already checked out the multies in the past

 

[DMD123]

I like Neolamprologus leleupi is this one I could add?

 

[DMD123]

The tank tends to get algae growth, would a bristle nose pleco work to keep this under control? I know its not the correct fish for the tank but need some help

 

[sir_keith]

...I also have an alto calvus and also a syno cat, but I’ll probably be removing both as my fry don’t typically make it once they start venturing out away from the colony ( someone likes multies fry snacks)...

I'm sure the A. calvus is not aiding matters here, but the real fry predator in your tank is the Synodontis.

 

[sir_keith]

I like Neolamprologus leleupi is this one I could add?
View attachment 9747

No way, no how! Don't even think about N. leleupi in a setup like this, because it is not going to work. Leleupi are crazy aggressive, and will completely eliminate each and every fish mentioned in this thread so far...

 

[sir_keith]

My Neolamprologus multifasciatus, Julidichromis ornatus colony in a 40-long.

 

[DMD123]

What Im thinking is shell area and rock area…

I kind of like Neolamprologus tretocephalus too

 

[DMD123]

I do like Julidichromis…

 

[lloyd378]

Wow, didn’t know the julichromis could go with multies…. May need to look at the wetspot now. Haha

My Neolamprologus multifasciatus, Julidichromis ornatus colony in a 40-long.

View attachment 9748

 

[DMD123]

Wow, didn’t know the julichromis could go with multies…. May need to look at the wetspot now. Haha

I like the idea of this mix.

 

[sir_keith]

What Im thinking is shell area and rock area…

I kind of like Neolamprologus tretocephalus too
View attachment 9749

Another very aggressive Tanganyikan that needs a much bigger tank, like maybe one pair in a 125. Not going to work with any of the fishes mentioned above.

As far as territories go, setting up separate areas with rocks and shells does not mean that your shell dwellers will stay in the shells, and the cave dwellers in the rocks. Case in point, the 40L I posted above has both rocks and shells, yet some of my N. multifasciatus have set up territories in the rocks, and some of the J. ornatus have taken over some of the shells. I guess they didn't read the instruction manual...

 

[DMD123]

so what ever happened to http://www.shelldwellers.com/

 

[sir_keith]

Wow, didn’t know the julichromis could go with multies…. May need to look at the wetspot now. Haha

Well, only the smaller Julies, and even then, only if you're not planning to raise fry. The mixed colonies can be testy for a while, but eventually stabilize. That said, I think species tanks of these fishes are much more interesting than mixed colonies, and I will be setting up a species tank for my J. ornatus (again) in the future. I've always had a soft spot for ornatus, and it is really a treat to watch the cooperative breeding groups in action.

 

[fishguy1978]

I like Neolamprologus leleupi is this one I could add?
View attachment 9747

Beautiful fish but way too aggressive for that size tank. They will bully other shell dwellers away from shells to feast on the fry. Brevis, multies or similis would do well. I like a mix of shells and rocks but you could just a shell bed. I have tried doing rock piles at one end and shells at the other but they ignore boundaries.

 

[DMD123]

Man that sucks! The two fish I really wanted in that set up are a no go. I loved the idea of a small African community of sorts with shells and rock formations but wanted more variety, not necessarily needing any fish to breed and reproduce.

Is there a schooling fish that would work with maybe the Julies and brevis? Could a calvus of some type be added with those two. Ive always liked the look of them, just wished they were bigger… like Oscar sized.

 

[DMD123]

I probably should have also clarified, I dont want to have to do any hard core additives or anything to keep these guys. Hope was just something that could live with the tap water. Willing to maybe change substrate to attain higher PH but thats about all.

 

[sir_keith]

...I loved the idea of a small African community of sorts with shells and rock formations but wanted more variety...

What you're imagining does not exist.

 

[DMD123]

What you're imagining does not exist.

Your just full of good news, lol. I appreciate the advice. I am just researching before I do anything. The shell dwellers have always intrigued me but wanted upper tank movement too. Some splash of color would be nice in that lower 30 gallon also. Maybe I might be better off with apistos or dwarf pike… IDK but I do need to reome the two trimac first.