#shell dwellers

Shell Dwellers - Page 1

Well, here it goes! We're back to Vault 101 for an adventure. I'm really pumped for this chapter, especially the latter pages! (This cover is a WIP, I'd like to get a head start with the actual pages before settling on anything.)

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I'll be moving in a few months, and was planning on putting my 4 multi shell dwellers in a 30 gal, and have my dwarf gourami probabky stay with them since he stays in the upper water column (he'd have a good area with some anubias and otger cover, too). However, I was just able to measure the tank this weekend and found it to be a 20 long instead of a 30.

Should Pancake be okay to stick with the multis? Or should he stay in his own 10 gal and they get the 20 long all to themselves?

My lfs has some N. multifasciatus, and just placed 3 on hold! They're going to stay with Pancake in the 10 for now (will add some sand and shells, of course!), Then have they're own tank when I move to VA this winter.

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I’ve noticed there isn’t a lot of disclosure on shell dwellers in small tanks 

Like yeah it’s totally possible to keep Neolamprologus multifasciatus, N. similis, N. brevis, or sometimes even N. ocellatus and relatives in a 10 gallon tank, the space is there, but the issue is the volume

just because you can do it doesn’t mean it’s easy, and I see a lot of people aspiring to keep them, and as much as I’d love to see more people get into cichlids, I don’t want people to get started on the wrong foot, these fish cannot be taken lightly and are terrible beginner cichlids, despite the fact they don’t demand a lot of space.

lake tanganyikan cichlids are very delicate and sensitive to shifts in water perimeters, since the lake is so huge, it self insulates and the temperature barely shifts even a degree year round, they are not evolved to handle changes in water perimeters.

the issue with this is, it is very hard to keep water perimeters steady in smaller tanks, things like pH, hardness, and especially temperature can shift during water changes or even for no real reason at all

since these guys need the pH above 8.0 and the nitrates below 20 to thrive, while also being bad candidates for planted tanks, water changes need to be frequent and they need to be precise, fucking up can easily lead to the death of the fish. If the pH drops too quickly or rapidly since your tap isn’t at what they want while the tank water is up there, the very least you’re going to expect is a lot of stress and flashing among the fish as they try to readjust to the perimeters. 

These fish die when exposed to nitrites and ammonia, and they die quickly. If overfeeding takes place or your bacterial colony is weak and you get a spike, you could lose fish in the course of a few hours of being exposed to even a small amount of ammonia, especially since ammonia is more toxic to fish in the high pH they should be kept in. 

Another thing to cover is breeding, and if you keep especially N. multifasciatus, the most popular choice, it’s inevitable that if you take care of them properly, you’re going to have babies. A lot of babies. Shell dwellers are a pain in the ass to catch since they get into the shells so tightly, and multi’s can spawn as much as twice a month, with fry growing relatively rapidly. Parents sometimes don’t even finish raising one batch of fry before throwing out another generation. You need to know what you’re going to do with all of them and the best methods of removing all the young. 

When keeping shell dwellers, you need to make sure in a smaller tank like a 10 you only get 1 male as well. Two males will constantly be at each other’s throats with the lack of territory provided. While they don’t claim huge zones of territories, they still take about a square foot of it, and there are not two square feet to be had in a 10 gallon aquarium. Especially if keeping an ocellatus or ocellatus relative, you’ll quickly end up with a dominant male killing the other male, or even all the other ocellatus in the tank, regardless of their sex. They’re a much more aggressive type of shell dweller and despite their social nature, they can be relentless to one another in small quarters. While I’ve seen it done, it’s not easy to set up. 

Okay so I know it's been a while since I've been on. Thought to let everyone know what's happening. 

Goldfish tank is a mess, they got upgraded to a 55 gallon tank and I need to clean it, cleaning is happening tomorrow. 

Billy is M.I.A. He all of a sudden vanished in his tank and I have no clue where he is. He's been missing for over a week, I've been hoping and praying he was just being a grumpy fish but no. I will deal with that tank soon. 

I had bought a Aqueon 10 gallon deluxe kit tank to upgrade Billy to, but right when I did that he disappeared. SO! Here I am with a bbrand new 10 gallon tank and I have a spot to put it I just need to clear off said spot and figure out what to put in said tank.

I don't really want to do bettas anymore, I had/have 3 (2 if Billy never shows up again). And I'm fine, I don't need anymore bettas. I did just recently learn about the shell dwelling chiclids I'm in love with the idea I just need to know more about them.