Thinking about starting a shell dweller tank! Advice is appreciated!

[Daven]

I never really looked into these guys, but under advice in another thread I am starting to get pretty interested in these little guys. Tank would be a 20 long (30x12x12") and I would use pool filter sand. I have been looking a bit online and have a few questions.

First, what species do I have to choose from? Any recommendations based on experience? I'm looking for the best personality and of course nice colouration is a plus. I never looked into these guys before so it's hard to jump into different species and compare them effectively


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[Nils]

I personally have never had them but have always had them in mind. There are a couple species, but by far the ones you most commonly see are multis, or Neolamprologus multifasciatus. Nice fish with great coloration. Here's a nice link with info on a lot of small shell dwelling species: Shell Dwelling Cichlids of Lake Tanganyika

Always have at least 5 shells per fish. I'd say that for a 20 gallon, you should fit at least 10 fish. I think that they can be aggressive, especially to other species of fish. They do like a relatively pH, so a crushed coral substrate would help to achieve this. Anywhere from 7-8 is a good range to shoot for, pH wise. You can add plants if you want, just I think it should be a more empty scape than heavily planted.

Look through that list of fish, I'm sure you'll find a species of them that you would like.

 

[Freakgecko91]

The most common species for beginners (anyone really) include:
Neolamprologus multifasciatus
N. Brevis
N. ocellatus (look into ocellatus "gold", beautiful color)

There are MANY more, but those are typically the most readily available and easiest to start with.

Sand is a MUST. Shells should be at minimum 3-4 per fish, more is preferred. I use escargot shells in one tank, empty Mexican turbo snail shells in another. Either work, I prefer the escargot, but I do like the look of my turbos.

In that size tank, I would not recommend keeping any other fish in the tank. It can be done, but honestly, it's more of a headache (personal experience). If you are absolutely set on multiple species, LOTS of holey rock to separate the tank into separate areas


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[mikem691]

To add to what Freakgecko said I would not try to use plants that need to be in the sand or anything that has to be anchored in the sand with multis (not sure about the others). These little guys are mini bulldozers and will continually move sand around.

 

[Fishperson]

To add:

Yes sand is a must, crushed coral or aragonite especially because they will raise your pH. Shoot for around 8 but I don't think it's too big a deal. I think they can adapt but to be safe it certainly should not be below 7.

The tank should be rather bare but a rock formation in the middle of mine is nice for splitting up territories.

I have Multies, and if you get to many males they may kick one or two out by chasing them into the top corners of the tank. If so you will need to remove them but that may not be a problem.

They are extremely interesting and have great behavior. They are sort of shy but don't stay in their shells too much. At first they may not be very active but after a week or so they get comfortable and start digging pits and moving shells. That's also around when you see territories solidify.

I notice that they won't come out on the open if they see people moving much so if you want to observe them you need to be still. They aren't a great choice for a busy room in that case, although they won't suffer if they are in one. You just won't see them unless you stop and wait a minute for them to resume their activity.

I haven't yet gotten into their breeding but I hope mine will soon. That part is very fun also as they are good at raising fry, so I hear.

They are the smallest cichlids in the world which is pretty cool!

Overall pretty hardy, good looking, very interesting (although shy, sort of), easy to breed, and have great personalities.

PM me or post here if you have any specific questions, I don't mine answering them.

 

[Daven]

Wow thanks for the replies and all the info! For sand I like using pool filter sand which had works great for me in other tank. My PH is around 7.8, and I forget the hardness offhand. My main tank is mbuna and they seem to have no issues.

I like the fact that they stay small. Kind of like keeping permanent juveniles lol but will I have to worry about them overpopulating since they care for their young so well? I've seen a couple guppy tanks get out of hand fast even though they couldn't care less about their young lol

And i should pick a single species, correct? It's not a matter of different ones claiming different territories?


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[Fishperson]

Yes, in that tank size you probably shouldn't combine species.

I don't think it would get too out of hand but you would probably have to give some fish away at some point.

 

[mikem691]

as fishperson said you wont have a problem selling fry. people have a hard time finding them. I only see them in the lfs once or twice a year. And even then its only 4 or 5 that they have.

 

[Nils]

Wow thanks for the replies and all the info! For sand I like using pool filter sand which had works great for me in other tank. My PH is around 7.8, and I forget the hardness offhand. My main tank is mbuna and they seem to have no issues.

I like the fact that they stay small. Kind of like keeping permanent juveniles lol but will I have to worry about them overpopulating since they care for their young so well? I've seen a couple guppy tanks get out of hand fast even though they couldn't care less about their young lol

And i should pick a single species, correct? It's not a matter of different ones claiming different territories?


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Because they are colonial fish, a lot of fry will become part of the colony. You still don't have that much space in a 20 long, so you might want to start off with fewer fish, like a certain breeding pair, which can produce fry to become part of the colony. What I suggest you do, unless you really want to make money, is just let nature takes it's course in your tank. By this I mean Just leaving the fry and seeing which ones survive. Then sell those if they don't get added on to the colony.

You only want one species because otherwise it will actually be a really big territorial battle 24/7.

 

[keegster803]

Wow thanks for the replies and all the info! For sand I like using pool filter sand which had works great for me in other tank. My PH is around 7.8, and I forget the hardness offhand. My main tank is mbuna and they seem to have no issues.

I like the fact that they stay small. Kind of like keeping permanent juveniles lol but will I have to worry about them overpopulating since they care for their young so well? I've seen a couple guppy tanks get out of hand fast even though they couldn't care less about their young lol

And i should pick a single species, correct? It's not a matter of different ones claiming different territories?


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Pick one species, as they will either battle it out and kill one of the species, or in some cases. Certain species can interbreed and make hybrids, I've heard of this happening with brevis and multis. If your going for a colorful Shellie, I'd definitely recommend ocellatus "gold", I have a pair and they are absolutely stunning, the male turns a dark blue on his sides when in breeding. They are very territorial, and when they have fry, they are extremely aggressive. When I tried to scoop some fry out with my net, they pair teamed up against the net and started to push it away from the fry. I'd recommend putting some crushed coral or something to raise the ph as tangs like a ph of 8.0 or higher, my ph is around 8.2-8.5. And they love hard water.


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[TheresaM]

Definitely one species. Floating plants if you're interested in some green. Lots of shells, I personally don't think you can have too many!

Not always easy to find but I really liked my stapps, both in terms of looks and personality:

 

[Freakgecko91]

Bare tanks are not a requirement FYI

Also, they aren't that shy when established. My colony is going on 3+ years now, and stay out even when my hand is in the tank
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[Fishperson]

Bare tanks are not a requirement FYI View attachment 278625

Also, they aren't that shy when established. My colony is going on 3+ years now, and stay out even when my hand is in the tank
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I figured. Mine are wild caught or F1 and I've only had them for a month or so so they aren't quite used to people. But their fry will be I suppose.

Awesome tank btw. I love that there's green in there and some rockwork. That's really sweet.

 

[Freakgecko91]

I figured. Mine are wild caught or F1 and I've only had them for a month or so so they aren't quite used to people. But their fry will be I suppose.

Awesome tank btw. I love that there's green in there and some rockwork. That's really sweet.

Thanks. My spathodus erythrodon Burundi is WC and is very outgoing, and loves to steal fry lol


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[HUKIT]

Bare tanks are not a requirement FYI View attachment 278625

Also, they aren't that shy when established. My colony is going on 3+ years now, and stay out even when my hand is in the tank
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I have to say that's one of the best looking tanks I've seen in a long time, very well done!

 

[Freakgecko91]

I have to say that's one of the best looking tanks I've seen in a long time, very well done!

Thanks HUKIT, means a lot coming from someone like you!


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[Daven]

That's a great looking tank! Do they make use of the 'cichid stones' you have in there too? I have a bunch in my 75 gallon and that could be an excuse to add some more when the 20 gal gets filled lol I don't mind the look of the shells only though with the sand. I just hope my lfs would stick shells and of course some Shellie's

I read somewhere that seemed to recommend only maintaining the tank every month or so. I find this hard to believe would be good nitrate-wise. You guys do the regular weekly maintenance?


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[Freakgecko91]

Only my catfish use the stones really, one of my loner males occasionally too.

I honestly do minimal maintenance on this tank. I have lost two Shellie's recently, but I believe they were both from my original 4. I wouldn't say that I would recommend less maintenance really. Maintain them like any other fish IMO and IME


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[Fishperson]

One of my loner males hangs in the rocks also but he has a few shells across the tank that he goes to if I put my hand in the water. He's weird.

I do a large water change every 2 weeks, sometimes more often. Having floating plants is a great idea as I've read they don't love harsh light and they an also suck up nitrates.

 

[Daven]

Ok. I thought it was a bit farfetched. But it must be more so towards as minimal as possible so they don't get disturbed with your hands in the tank daily lol I do the rest of my tanks weekly so they will likely follow the same schedule.

These guys seem pretty cool so I'm looking forward to setting up a tank for them sometime! I hope my stores around here get them in from time to time. It will be cool to have kind of a different setup with a more bare tank with shells along with my rocky mbuna tank and my girlfriends community tank


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