# shell dwellers please help stocking



## rew (Aug 22, 2007)

hello I am in the process of ordering some shell dwellers
I am thinking 5 or 6 of each
neolamprologus multifasciatus
Neolamprologus brevis 
Neolamprologus caudopunctatus 
I have a few tanks that I could put these fish in and any feed back would be great
I have a 100 gallon, a 55 gallon, a 33 a 25 available to house these fish.
I also had some other fish I was considering on adding with them or maybe ordering some for them.
I have 4 med sized white calvus and some J. dickfeldi. anybody had any luck mixing some of these fish.
I read that the multi's shouldn't go in with the other two since they are more aggressive
also read that some have put groups of multi's in with fronts. anyone do that. My group of fronts are a wide range of sizes though lol most 2 1/2 to 5 inch with 2 being 1/2 inch but they don't seem to get bugged to much and hide out in some rocks with the smallest of the rest.so though maybe the shellies would do ok with them but not sure once they get even larger.
I also have some peacocks and lots of other less aggressive fish but am trying to keep it a all tang tank. but doesn't have to be nothing written in stone. Well any advice or experiences would be great. thanks Ryan

oh also I have pick up 2 large bags of shells from walmart and plan to pick up one or two more and lol have some in my other tank already. some aren't great for the fish but add to the look. but will have many large enough ones for the fish.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Which tank are you stocking? What are the current tank mates?

One rule that may help you is one shellie species per tank.

For shellies you want to avoid conch-shaped shells, and stick to escargot-shaped shells or whale-eye shells. One to 1.5 inch opening that starts wide and narrows to nothing almost immediately to avoid fish darting in, getting stuck and dying.

I had a 38G with calvus and caudopunctatus that was a great tank.


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## rew (Aug 22, 2007)

I have the dickfeldi and calvus now. they are in a 100 gallon together with a male and female peacocks. but was goint to take the peacocks out. But I do have those other tanks that could also be available if I can stock them. I have also heard of some people putting Neolamprologus brevis and Neolamprologus caudopunctatus together in a tank or is this a bad idea.
and oh I may have to return some of the shells. thanks for the info


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## Rick_Lindsey (Aug 26, 2002)

My understanding is that N. Caudopuctatus are opportunistic shell-dwellers that typically use rock structures in the lake... if you give the punks some rock structure, and add the true shell-dweller first (brevis) it may work out. This is pure conjecture though, so your mileage may (and likely will) vary.

-Rick (the armchair aquarist)


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Caudo's are not true shell dwellers. I have mine with brevis in a 72" tank. The brevis use their shells and the caudo's use their ceramic caves buried under the rock piles. Two pair, and with choice of a variety of ceramic caves and shell sizes, the caudo pairs both chose the cigar shaped caves.

What are the dimensions of the 100G?


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## rew (Aug 22, 2007)

My 100 is 66 inch long by 24 inch wide by 15 high
I have 6 this size and one is just empty since I put the fish into my 180 and another one has my dickfeldi and calvus in it right now
did you have anything else with your Caudopuctatus and brevis. 
and like I said I do have other tanks that I could use if necessary
anyone have anything in with there multi's would the calvus or some fronts be ok. thanks again RYan


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

Caudos will use shells though I have my breeding pair in a 20 long by themselves with a shell and a cave and they chose the cave as a den. The problem with the caudos is that they take over a lot of space when they spawn and they spawn a lot! If you keep them as singles or multiple females with no male they just go around posturing and bluff charging everyone without hurting or bothering anyone. I wouldn't keep but a pair though because in aquariums they willpair off and kill all the others even though they're supposedly found in schools in the lake.
I also wouldn't mix the Brevis with the multis, non stop shell wars. 
I like Stappersi and Orange occulatus. Stappersi are gorgeous and occulatus will fearlessly bite you every time you put your hand in the tank! How cool is that.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

rew, you can see in my sig what I have in the 72" tank, but they are juvies and have only been together 7-8 months. I expect to have to pull either the brevis or the leleupi once the brevis start breeding (I think I might have only females).

I'm not a front fan, but thought they were best in a species tank. I wouldn't want any of my fish eaten!

My caudos breed constantly but they or the tankmates eat the fry (no survivors yet) so that's not a problem for me. I love them.


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## rew (Aug 22, 2007)

so does everyone think it would be best to set them up in say 
one group into 55 
one group into 33
last group into 25
or something like that 
I would like to get fry out of them
which are the most aggressive. in a 55, 33, 25 will they still kill of the other fish in your experience. Anyone know which are the easiet to breed and which ones are the nicest. thanks Ryan


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Not sure which fish you are talking about now. Just the 3 species of shellies?

I'd put the calvus, julies, caudopunctatus and brevis in the 100G tank. When a shellie has fry, remove the shell with fry inside before they start swimming outside the shell. I'd keep the fronts elsewhere.

I'd put the multifasciatus in the 25G tank alone.

Is that what you meant?


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## rew (Aug 22, 2007)

yes thanks except lol I ordered some other fish aswell now so think I will put a group of multi's and a few J.dickfeldi into a 55 and see how that works and then put the brevis into a 100 with 12 Cyprichromis leptosoma Cape Kabogo that I have ordered with them. I figure they will have lots of room and both won't both each other. lol then just maybe look for something to go in with my Calvus and J. dickfeldi what do you think.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You could include the cyps in the 100G with the others.


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## rew (Aug 22, 2007)

so but them all in together, the 12 Cyprichromis leptosoma Cape Kabogo, 6 brevis, 4 Calvus, 10 J.dickfeldi. tempting but not sure. I want to cause I think that would look awesome but would like to get some fry from all of them and not sure if I will be able to do this if I put them all together. what do you think. thought I would do just the put them seperate and once I get fry put some into the other tank. agh I don't know lol good thing fish are not here yet


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

These are pairing fish. Normally you buy 6 juvies of each (except the cyps) and they will form a pair. The pair will drive the other fish out of the tank. So you will end up with a pair of each in the 100G. This is the ultimate stocking I'm suggesting.

These fish take a while to mature, especially the calvus. So you may have a year (more for the calvus) before the pairing and fry production starts to happen.

Then if you want fry, remove them before they exit the breeding cave, shell, etc.

Even in individual tanks, you would need to remove the fry because the parents will eventually eat them in many cases.

Cyps are mouth brooders and you can strip the female before she spits the fry.


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## rew (Aug 22, 2007)

yeah I know usually. The J.dickfeldi have been together forever in the 100 gallon. bought them with the tank lol and the guy had them together for a long time. 
The Calvus I haven't had as long but people tell me in that size of tank that they should be ok and I was planning on finding( if I can) a few more to add to tank.
I was also hoping to set things up well enough so that the brevis could have more then one spot or does that not work very often.
I have also been told to be careful cause Calvus once full grown( mine are not yet but have produce fry once) may eat the brevis.


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## rew (Aug 22, 2007)

lol and I figure if I just put the brevis and cyps together I may not have to remove the fry. many people say that they won't eat there young, won't protect them but won't eat them. Plus in the large tanks and with them being two feet from back to front and with two tanks on each stand one on top of each other I may have issues catching to strip the mothers of there fry. was going to wait and see if any fry make it before i start to strip them.lol i say that now but who knows


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