# Anybody else keep shelldwellers, cichlids, or other fish?



## The Orchid Boy (Sep 11, 2012)

I have a 10g set up with 4 Neolamprologus brevis (shell dweller cichlids). 3 males , 1 female. Just curious if anybody has heard about shell dwellers or keeps other fish.


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## Rick (Sep 11, 2012)

I used to many years ago. But I gave up my Tanganyikan cichlid craze about 20 years ago.

The shell dwellers were pretty fun how the males would "steal" females from each other by grabbing shells.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Sep 11, 2012)

Yeah, I also gave up my African cichlids years ago when I got into salt water and reefkeeping.


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## physiognomy (Sep 12, 2012)

I have a few tanks... Right now I keep Bolivian Rams, Fundulopanchax gardneri, Denison's Barbs, & misc. tetras/community fish.


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## TyroneGenade (Sep 12, 2012)

Hello,

I have a planted tank at home full of guppies, and then back at the lab 100s of Nothobranchius (for the aging research). The lab geriatrics retire to my home tank.

I used to keep shell dwellers and they were a lot of fun. Cleaning the tank or changing water normally ended up with the males gnawing on my arm as they tried to protect their territory. But it was the family structure of the Julichromis and Neolamprologus pulcher/sp. Daffodil which really impressed me. I used to keep and breed all of these in soft water which made me laugh when I read books about it being absolutely vital that the water be hard!


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## Justin (Sep 12, 2012)

i used to keep Cichlids, started with 3 in the tank which ended up with the 1 big dog after he killed off the others. very aggressive and very cool fish.

i dont keep a fish tank any more--the orchids take all my free time.


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## Linus_Cello (Sep 12, 2012)

I have dwarf cichlids (apistos). 3 tanks. 12.5 breeding tank for A. agassazi. 2 display, 56 column and 75 with tetras and fancy plecos (L204, L114, L7). May get some discus for the 56 column. 

I like to use the water from my water changes to water my orchids. At the 2009 Paph Forum, Terry Root of OrchidZone mentioned that he used to keep discus, and he said that the water from his discus tanks helped with his paphs (something about the secretions from the adult).


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## NYEric (Sep 12, 2012)

I used to keep saltwater tanks but no more. Orchids can be more fun.


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## Rick (Sep 12, 2012)

The Orchid Boy said:


> I have a 10g set up with 4 Neolamprologus brevis (shell dweller cichlids). 3 males , 1 female. Just curious if anybody has heard about shell dwellers or keeps other fish.



The sex ratio is not great in this setup. I would predict that either that lone female is going to get way to much attention, or the males are going to beat each other up unitl you are down to one or two.

If you can get a few more (of any sex) you could disperse the aggression.


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## cnycharles (Sep 15, 2012)

I still have two dwarf albino cory catfish; one that a co-worker no longer at our site gave me and the other that I purchased a few years later (actually I bought two, but the other one disappeared). The second one purchased later has never equaled the other one in size, which I had expected to happen. I have no idea how long they live, though it's been a number of years for the first one (twenty gallon tank)


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Sep 15, 2012)

I'm in the process of setting up a 10 gal shrimp tank for my youngest son. Just red cherry shrimp. Nothing else. Well, maybe some other color varieties....


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## TyroneGenade (Sep 17, 2012)

Eric, you could try some Rocket killifish (Epiplatus annulatus) or small lampeyes. I have found these to get one well together.


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## 17andgrowing (Sep 17, 2012)

I have a 75 gal reef myself


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## quaker (Sep 18, 2012)

I started tropical fishkeeping with a couple of guppies in my mothers fruitbowl.in the mid 40's then progressed over the next 25years to owning a shop and importing livestock from S. America and the Asian countries. Whent on to importing marines from Rodney Jonklass from Ceylon. Ended this business when decimalization came in and stated breeding Discus.until the nineties when I packed up for many years. Have no tanks now but did manage to breed some maroon clowns about 6 years ago. Orchids have now taken over completely.
Ed


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## NYEric (Sep 19, 2012)

Eric Muehlbauer said:


> I'm in the process of setting up a 10 gal shrimp tank for my youngest son. Just red cherry shrimp. Nothing else. Well, maybe some other color varieties....



I see some new additions to the "What's for Dinner?" thread!! oke:


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## The Orchid Boy (Sep 21, 2012)

Hey Rick. The shelldwellers I have form pairs. The female and dominant male paired up. He protects her and the other males leave the boss alone. The other male don't even want to pair up at all. I tried it with both of them. I guess they just want to be alone. I've had them like this for months and so far they are fine...


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## KyushuCalanthe (Sep 21, 2012)

NYEric said:


> I see some new additions to the "What's for Dinner?" thread!! oke:



Man, I can't believe that thread is still rocking! I had no idea it would carry on this long.

As for fish, I used to keep many that other folks have mentioned here - back in the states as a younger man - killies, Apistogramma, Pelmatochromis, Mikrogeophagus, Discus, etc. I love dwarf cave dwelling cichlids in particular, though you can't help but be amazed at the annual killies - sexual maturity from fry in just a few weeks - crazy!


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Sep 21, 2012)

Back in the late 70's-early 80s I was doing research in ichthyology at NYU. The annual killies was a big area of interest. One of my friends from the lab made a killing marketing them to schools and hobbyists. I should have done something like that...............................
I was actually thinking that Endler's livebearers would be good for the shrimp tank....just don't know where to get them other than on line.


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## Yoyo_Jo (Sep 22, 2012)

Man, the stuff you can learn on this forum! Fish that live in shells...who'd a thunk it.


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## mrhappyrotter (Dec 28, 2012)

In my area, it seems like cichlids are the most popular group of fish hobbyists. I like them, but haven't really gotten into them, yet.

I keep mostly small fish, and the collection is geared towards killies. Almost everything is in species only tanks. I keep f. gardneri, lots and lots of f. gardneri. They breed with no effort on my part. I also have A. volcanum, which seems to breed almost as readily as the gardneris. I have one living Pseudepiplatys annulatus. The plan is to acquire some more eggs sometime in the spring. Last time, I bought them too early and only had 2 fish hatch -- one of which leapt to its death about a year ago. I have a couple of annual species, Simpsonichthys santanae and Nothobranchius rachovii. I'm planning to expand my collection of annual species, I find them to be as fascinating as they are beautiful.

Also, I have a couple species of dwarf gudgeons, trying to breed those but so far no luck.

Finally I have more shrimp than I can count. Those cherry shrimp propagate faster than roaches, I swear.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Dec 28, 2012)

My shrimp tank ended up with a whole bunch of Endler's, from Ebay...gorgeous and really cute! The shrimp are still small and not colored up, but I got a betta to make my son happy. The shrimp and Endler's keep it active...it's too slow to actually catch any of the shrimp.


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## The Orchid Boy (Dec 29, 2012)

My Julidocchromis transcriptus (julie cichlids) just bred for the first time. I saw one little fry. My Neolamprologus brevis (shelldwellers) won't do anything except eat. They supposedly breed easily. I should have got Neolamprologus multifasciatus (a different type of shelldweller). I accidently got 1 multie and he is more exciting and braver than any of my brevis. And he is only 1/2 to 2/3 of the brevis size.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Dec 29, 2012)

Speaking of breeding, my clownfish just spawned last week. I doubt any of the fry will make it, but it's possible considering all the rockwork and mushroom corals they can hide in.


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