Lepidiolamprologus hecqui question

[ktomminello]

Sooooo.... I ventured into the world of shellies as my first venture into African cichlids. My tank is 40b, parameters have all been 0 to trace, kh 80<120 on strip, stable coloration though- waiting on liquid kh test kit; gH appr 60- waiting on liquid test kit; ph stable 8.7. I use API freshwater master test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph and for now I'm using API 5 in 1 test strips for kh and gH readings.
I'm running an ac70 and an oversized canister with purigen, polyfloss, ceramic rings and sponges.
For the time being there is a juvenile 5 bar that I am going to rehome once he's attained a decent size.


Ok So here's my questions- how many people that have bred these giant shellies have stories of their prolific breeding habits?

In my 40b, once I remove the 5 bar, will I have enough space to successfully keep a breeding pair of any other type of Shellie?

Will they thin out on their own?

I have a true breeding pair that have successfully taken over 1/3 of the tank with fry. This guy and gal are HUGE- he is no less than 5 inches, she is approximately 3 1/2-4 inches. I'm kind of out of my element here and there wasn't much that I could pull up through Google gave me any real hands on knowledge.

Any experiences you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. Oh- I do have the ability to trade off the fry, so I'm not too concerned about negative effects of prolific behavior- I'm just curious about what to expect.
Thanks in advanced!!

 

[ktomminello]

Anybody?

 

[Fishobsessed7]

I've only kept multies, and I've only had them for like a week, but I hope you find the info you are looking for.


Fishobsessed7

Money Can't Buy Happiness, But It Can Buy Fish Which Is Pretty Much The Same Thing

 

[ktomminello]

Thank you apparently this type of shellie is pretty uncommon, which is surprising as it is apparently more prolific than any other fish I've ever kept!! I have to separate them- the poor male can't keep up with her!! I saw momma hecqi attempting to push him into a shell that had just emptied of babies and he looked so run down. They are also big and aggressive enough to be kept with many mid sized African cichlids- they bully my juvenile 5 bar.

 

[keegster803]

That 5 bar might become a problem when he fully matures, I'd keep a watch on him


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[keegster803]

I'd also add, that, if your gonna add more than one species, add a ton of rockwork to separate the two species, and you may be able to get away with it


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[ktomminello]

I'm actually going on Friday to trade him off for credit at an lfs. I got him in an inherited random cichlid tank.

 

[ktomminello]

I'd also add, that, if your gonna add more than one species, add a ton of rockwork to separate the two species, and you may be able to get away with it


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Do you think if I used holy rock and lattice rock to make an almost complete natural divider I could house a pair of caudopunks?

 

[keegster803]

Caudopunctus are more cave spawners then they are shelldwellers


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[ktomminello]

True- I just didn't know if it might work if I set up 2 completely separate zones, and I think caudopunks are beautiful little meanies.

My other thoughts were l. ocellatus or n. multifasciatus

 

[keegster803]

I have occies, I love em to death, but mine, when not breeding, kick each other to opposite sides of my 55 gallon, they are mean little buggers, but they are my beautiful little buggers. I've been bit (love kisses) multiple times by my pair when I try to move a rock or two. But if your up for adding at least 40+ lbs of rock to your tank, I'd go for it. Or I'd recommend N. Multifascius, but if these are your first Shellie's, I'd recommend holding off and just doing research and just study the fish in your tank. More than half the knowledge I gained from my occies was from watching them interact to different situations. But research is most definitely key


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[ktomminello]

My hecqis are my first shellies. I have 2 Styrofoam shipping containers full of holey rock and lattice rock and the only other fish in the tank besides the hecqis is going away on Friday. &#55357;&#56836; I've got a decent amount of experience with planted community tanks, American cichlids of all sizes, brackish feature tanks (archer, puffer and mono/scat) and fwlr only saltwater- you would think I'd have already at least caught the shellie/ African dwarf cichlid bug by now, but I'm just starting to realize how fascinating they truly are.
My male hecqi has actually held on to my pinky until he was part way out of the water because I was vacuuming too close their territory. It actually hurt!! I'm used to my flowerhorn and Oscar biting me and it not feeling too pleasant, but they don't hold on!!

Thank you so much for the help!! Once I get the 5 bar out of there on Friday I'll build a wall- I'll build a grand wall- and I'll set up a 2nd shellie habitat. I will take your advice and do more research. I think I'll try to find a species that screams to me and order a pair instead of trying to hunt them down and settle for "what's out there" unless of course I find what I'm looking for at the lfs on Friday.

 

[keegster803]

Loll, I'd just make sure you have a backup plan In case the two species don't work out. But definitely keep us posted! I love following people's Tang Tanks, cuz barely anyone makes them!


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[ktomminello]

I'm lucky enough that the lfs I'm going to be trading with has an employee that is a tanginyika enthusiast/ breeder that is always willing to trade from her personal stock- pair for pair/ fry batch for fry batch but only certain singles.

I am, however, cycling another 20g long for fry rearing. Hopefully I will get my Google photo gallery to link with my phone soon so I can link my pics, but my tech partner is on her butt.

 

[Fishobsessed7]

If your wall is pretty high, I would add at least a small filter to prevent a big dead zone on the side with out a filter. But if you have a filter on each end then you should be good.


Fishobsessed7

Money Can't Buy Happiness, But It Can Buy Fish Which Is Pretty Much The Same Thing

 

[ktomminello]

If your wall is pretty high, I would add at least a small filter to prevent a big dead zone on the side with out a filter. But if you have a filter on each end then you should be good.


Fishobsessed7

Money Can't Buy Happiness, But It Can Buy Fish Which Is Pretty Much The Same Thing

I do, actually, have a filter at each end of the tank. I had initially wanted to partition before I added fish, but I didn't get my rocks until last week (unreliable distributor). The tank has been occupied for 5 months and was set up and cycled for about a month before that so I'm chomping at the bit to complete this project!

then it's rearrange the large American cichlid time!!