Shell Dwellers

[Steven A]

Well i am considering some Shell Dwellers for my 13 gal tank. To be honest I do not know much about them however I have begun my research.
This is what I think so far.

*They Need Shells (Alot) lol, as these are used for them to seek cover and breed in. They re-arrange the shells to mark territory.
*Sand substrate as they like to dig.
*Some rock work but not much i.e. texas holy rock etc ....
*High P.H about 8.00 (This will be my biggest challenge lol)

Now this is where I get stuck, I dont know anything about the actual fish.
So how many could I keep in a tank this size?
What is the ratio i.e. male to females for breeding them.
Can you put any thing with them? (to occupy the top area of the tank?)
Also the price of shell dwellers as I have no idea as no lfs's close by sell any ?

If any one has any please post some images ?

Thank you.

 

[severum mama]

You probably already know, but you can raise the pH of your water by using aragonite sand and the holey rock, since you already had that in mind. What is your pH out of the tap? I assume it isn't very high since you can keep discus (lucky!)

BTW, are you going to Ebay the holey rock? That's what I'm going to do whenever I recover from surgery and set up my neolamprologus pulcher tank. Man, it is expensive to ship the rock to Indiana- it'll cost you a friggin' fortune to get it to England!!! 8O

 

[Steven A]

Well to be honast it is not exactly really texas holey rock lol, but oceanic it looks the same but the oceanic in my lfs has been in there tanks and has some purple algea on it so it looks similar to s/w living rock lol.

What size tank is yours that you are setting up for the neolamprologus pulcher tank.

 

[severum mama]

It is a 30 gallon long (3 foot) tank, the one I got for $15. I plan to get the "daffodil" variety, and I want to breed them. It will be a species tank. Ok, enough hijacking your thread now.

I think it might be best for you to set up a species tank for the shell dwellers. That would give you more room to keep more shellies, and who knows, maybe you could breed them!

 

[Steven A]

Ok, Thanx alot and good luck with your Fairy's 8) .
Does any one have any idea how many I can keep in a 10 gal.

 

[Steven A]

Any one any idea's please ?

 

[severum mama]

I think Menagerie keeps shellies, and maybe TankGirl too. And Mentally Lost, perhaps? Maybe it is time for some PM'ing?

 

[Gunnie]

Here's a great article to get you started on shellies:

Shelldwellers

And for shellie specific info, Shelldwellers.com is a great site!

 

[Steven A]

Thank you.

 

[Gunnie]

Ok, Thanx alot and good luck with your Fairy's 8) .
Does any one have any idea how many I can keep in a 10 gal.

I have a colony of 6 neolamprologus multifasciatus in a 10 gal. tank. You will have to research on those 2 links I gave you to find out what would be best for you and your tank. Also find out what is readily available in your area. Multies tend to be easier to find, and I highly recommend them. They are miniature bulldozers, and rearrange their tank sand almost daily!

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

The number of fish you can keep really depends on the type of shell dweller you choose. Some species, such as N. multifasciatus and L. stappersi can be kept in colonies. Other species, like L. ocellatus or N. brevis do better in pairs. Any way you go, I'd opt for purchasing six fish: you're almost guaranteed a breeder pair and any "extra" fish not tolerated can be removed from the tank. The N. multifasciatus are probably the most easily found species of shell dweller and are the ones I recommend as a "starter" shellie. Not to mention they're one of the most entertaining fish I've ever owned!

You'll definitely want sand in your shellie tank. I use Sahara Sand, made by CaribSea. You'll also want plenty of shells in your tank. (I've used green turbo snail shells in the past, but have been buying empty escargot shells on Ebay recently that I like better.) I'd recommend at least two shells per fish- but the more, the better.

Trust me on this: you'll not need any other fish in the tank once you get a shellie tank up and running. They'll keep you entertained for hours.

Shellies can be tough to find in shops and prices will vary. The local shop I supply fish to sell them for about five bucks a pop: I've seen them in other local stores go for as much as 15 dollars each.

Hope this helps-
Steven