Shell Dwellers

[SAChichlidLover]

Yep will be wharf can’t wait this is their lost at the moment which is pretty much every shell dwellers which is amazing as I’ve not seen this much choice before.


Lamprologus brevis
Lamprologus caudopunctatus
Lamprologus multifasciatus
Lamprologus ocellatus "Blue"
Lamprologus ocellatus "Gold"
Lamprologus signatus
Lamprologus similis
Lamprologus speciosus

Wow they always seem to have a good stocklist! I love the looks of Multifasciatus and they can be housed with open water fish like Cyprichromis which look beautiful!

 

[Wills]

I think Multis are the “common” species interestingly with them and Similis I would probably be able to keep a larger group from the start as they seem more peaceful and set up for living like that where as some other species including the ocelatus prefer to be in smaller groups or even just pairs. I prefer Similis to the multis but it’s close. It might come down to what I think when I see them I’ve not actually ever seen them in the flesh and some of the pics I imagine are in full breeding dress with good cameras so possibly not a true reflection of what they will look like in a tank day to day?

 

[SAChichlidLover]

I think Multis are the “common” species interestingly with them and Similis I would probably be able to keep a larger group from the start as they seem more peaceful and set up for living like that where as some other species including the ocelatus prefer to be in smaller groups or even just pairs. I prefer Similis to the multis but it’s close. It might come down to what I think when I see them I’ve not actually ever seen them in the flesh and some of the pics I imagine are in full breeding dress with good cameras so possibly not a true reflection of what they will look like in a tank day to day?

They do seem to be the most popular starter shell dweller too! I'd just go for whichever you're heart tells you that you want and I completely get you! Fish in person mostly always look so much better in person

 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

The more I read about tangs the more I think so many more people should be keeping these. It’s like I’ve struggled with Americans for so long trying to get vivid colours and these just feel like cheating lol

I understand. I've been falling in love with African rift cichlids of late. In addition to the Tangs, I also like the Malawi species for their color too (note I said species, as I agree with your earlier comment that hybrids are just not for me - with plants that I grow, I've long told people that "I can get your hybrids from my species, but you can never get my species back from your hybrids").

I've so enjoyed reading your posts. Your excitement for this project is absolutely contagious! I've been dragging my feet a bit on a changing over a tank from a planted community setup to some Tang cichlids, and your posts are motivating me to sally forth on this particular journey. Thank you!

 

[Wills]

I understand. I've been falling in love with African rift cichlids of late. In addition to the Tangs, I also like the Malawi species for their color too (note I said species, as I agree with your earlier comment that hybrids are just not for me - with plants that I grow, I've long told people that "I can get your hybrids from my species, but you can never get my species back from your hybrids").

I've so enjoyed reading your posts. Your excitement for this project is absolutely contagious! I've been dragging my feet a bit on a changing over a tank from a planted community setup to some Tang cichlids, and your posts are motivating me to sally forth on this particular journey. Thank you!

Wow thanks so much getting all the love in this thread haha

I've always wanted to learn Africans like I know Americans, lot of it theoretical as I've not kept every species but pretty broad across Souths and Centrals. I probably know most families and species within a lot of them but just always found the African side difficult to get into and there are so many that seem to just get labled as mixed in stores I just never knew where to start.

I supose with these I've known about Shell Dwellers for a while, then I started to learn about rock dwellers, then realised Frontosa and Tropheus come from here which I've always been interested in and it just opened up a whole new side of the hobby to me. Looking forward to learning more over time too

I've found this youtube channel really useful https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAP0V2yC3Bq1PVYvd1Zlpug really great fish room and a lot of information

Wills

 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I've found this youtube channel really useful https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAP0V2yC3Bq1PVYvd1Zlpug really great fish room and a lot of information

Yes! I just discovered his channel earlier this week, and very uncharacteristically for me, I subscribed. He reminds me of Cory from Aquarium Co-Op in his calm and earnest demeanor. He seems more like someone who was motivated to post material because he wants to share his love of the fish and hobby than others who seem more interested in wanting to be a "star" on YouTube. I couldn't agree more that it's a lot of good content!

I'm not a big frontosa fan, but I have Tropheus dreams for the future.

 

[Metalhead88]

I have multis and I went with them over the others because of their behavior. The ocellatus are the best looking in my opinion, but from what I see are much less active than the multis.

Similus and multis are very similar, but multis are better looking imo with the blue eye.

No matter what, you'll want nice hard water, a nice thick layer of sand and a ton of shells.

This was my first run with shell dwellers and I certainly don't regret this decision. I got my first spawn in 1 month and the babies are doing great.

Start with 6 fish. I don't believe there is a sure fire way to sex them. Males are bigger but who knows if it's because of age or sex unless they are from the same batch. If you can sex them, I'd opt for a 3 male 3 female package. As long as you have at least one of each, the colony will grow.

It seems that I've ended up with 5 males and 1 female based on behavior.....so I almost missed the mark.

 

[Wills]

Ah that’s cool do you have any pics of your set up? Interesting about the blue eye on the multi as from pics I prefer Similis but when you see bright eyes in the flesh it makes a big difference.

For shells I want to try and get some of the Lake Tanganyika snail shells found a few places but all out of stock but quite fancy the challenge of hunting them down if not will get some escargot shells.

Been trying to get my head around other types of tangs today thought I was getting there but now more confused than ever lol

 

[Metalhead88]

It's a 26 bow with guppies that are doing surprisingly well together. I'm really liking the multis so I'll likely move some stuff around to get them into one of the bigger tanks. Here's what's going on. I did use the escargot shells since they seemed to be the best option. If you find anything better let me know.