Donnixd Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Hey all, I had a spare 2ft around, and decided to have a go housing shell dweller cichlids for the first time . The tank so far: 2ft, 75Litres Black painted background 4-5 cm of white filter pool sand as substrate One Java Fern (I plan to get 3-4 more small branches) Red Rocks and the white looking like coral rocks (buffs the PH to like 8) 14 varied med seashells. A bio filter -tetra Internal filters with two sponges A chemi internal -Sicce Shark Filter which holds active carbon and chemi pure Been adding Stability from Seachem to help ‘kick start’ the tank All decors were boiled before they went into the tank. It’s been cycling for a week now, at 27 degrees and with high aeration (this speed things up so I read). I haven’t done any water tests yet but i hope its headin to the right water sanity for shell dwellers. Now for the best part of the setup, let’s talk inhabitants! I will be adding a small bristlenose pleco into the tank this weekend to help manage the algae (once it gets too big, i’ll transfer him/her to my 6ft). Also Im a huge fan of Malaysian trumpet snail for algae control . I had some experience with them in a guppy’s tank. Will they perform well in a setup like this? This will be my algae control crew, any other suggestions? There are so many kinds of shell dwellers each with its different requirements. I narrowed it down to the three common kept ones- Ocellatus "Gold" ,Multifasciatus & Brevis. Multi’s requires alot of shells and im not a fan of the ‘Shellbed’ Brevis requires a little bigger space and can be aggressive. So i thinking of getting Ocellatus, they look really nice and require fewer shells. My purpose is breed shell dwellers if possible (optional) but keep a fish thats entertaining and fun to watch. Correct me if im wrong if with anything above, it’s my first time to cichlids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkesg Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Hi, You don't need to run carbon 24/7, usually only used to remove meds and water discouluration etc. I would replace this with another filter media. What have you used to cycle the tank? Was existing filter media used? or all new? I'd put the catfish in for a few weeks, turn down the temp, and incrrease light to create algae, if all goes well add the fish. The occies are probably potentially the most aggressive of the three, and tend to be bi-polar - one day you'll come home and find a dead female for no apparent reason. In my experirence brevis are pretty mellow and will do well in that setup...nice looking tank too . I'd re-consider multies, as they'll give you most viewing enjoyment in that they will spawn easily and many generations in the same tank. Occies and brevis will breed periodically but you'll have to remove fry etc and manage more closely... HTH Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod54 Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I agree with parkesg My favourite shellie is N similis.....a lot like multies but stripes are more defined They aren't as common as multies but they are about and would be a lot easier to sell later In my opinion Shells shown aren't ideal for shell dwellers.....old mystery snail(or similar) shells are the best(large entrance that gradually reduces in size) There are some home decor shops or "cheap shops" that have shells they sell by the scoop.... I find MTS a must in shellie tanks.....particularly multies and similis because the get into all the nooks and crannies between shells to finish off uneaten food..... Don't worry about algae....it provides a home for all sorts of small animals that are first food for fry....I wouldn't put any other fish in with shellies check out shelldwellers.com for more info! N similis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killiguy Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I agree about the ocellatus,they are very aggressive and I ended up keeping my colony of 6 fish in a standard 4 ft tank and the females would attack my arm when I was cleaning or pinching a shell with fry in.They have serious attitude The shell I use are found on the beaches in Victoria esp in Lorne on the far side of the pier(so take a summer holiday on my side if the bay!!),these are slightly larger than mystery snail shell but same design; green and white and attractive. For a 2 ft I would have to put my vote with multis or similis,the former is easier to get and cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnixd Posted September 30, 2009 Author Share Posted September 30, 2009 thx guys, i will consider your opinions and reconsider multis, also i will try to find escargot shells as the replacment. I dont like having lots of shells in the tank however (werid cuz i want to keep SHELL dwellers) ,can i get away with having 12-15 per 5 multies? Hoping for 2 M 3 F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod54 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 With occies and brevis.....they will bury any shells they don't want....and sometimes bury a mate in the process...2/3 shells per fish is plenty With multies and similis....the more the better they like high rise apartment blocks made up of shells I have shells 3/4 deep for the bottom of the tank If you start with 5 multies you will soon have lots more..... Not a lot of people keep shell dwellers.....I got my lfs to keep the shells from deceased mystery snails for me....which they were just throwing out.....soon had more than I could use!!! My next house... Shelldwelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnixd Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Hi Guys A little update... I’d replaced some seashells for approx. 20 Apple Snail shells and added in two small (4 cm) plecos, a bristlenose and a peppermint. I’m a little concern at the yellowish algae growing on white rocks. The tanks only 1.5 weeks old, is this algae growth normal? I went to a fish auction and got 5 Gold Occies at a good price (they didn’t auction multies). They seem to be doing fine; there was a hierarchy of power and property dispute during the first few days. But now, the two big (guessing males) own the front area of the tank. I put some shells hidden under the white rocks and two smaller occies use those shells. The firth fish I haven’t seen in a week.. Maintenance is easy so far, 40% water change, a temp of 25 degrees, two feeding of flakes, frozen blood worms, or frozen brine shrimp using a water dropper. These guys are surprisingly small and my digital camera isn’t that great hence crappy pictures. Srry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intern1 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 with 5 occies in the 2ft i would be a little bit worried about fights and deaths plus if your aim is to breed them watch out for the catfish because they will snap up some fry. I have brevis in my 2ft only 1 pair and have noticed that once i took the albino bristlenose i had in my tank i saw alot larger percentage of fry survival. Another thing is make sure you have another tank to keep the fry once they are around 1-1.5cm because you will notice another lot of fry in the tank once there that big so it will be time to move them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod54 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Lets assume you have both sexes in the tank....males get bigger As they grow they will sort out who's who....some will be rejected .....keep an eye for fish hiding in a corner....best remove them or they will be removed by the others ....for Good Once they sort them selves out you may have a male and a few females.....best rearrange the tank with rocks to give females their own space.....male may move between females....but if he doesn't like one he may bury her in her shell I have found once they have paired up and breed everything is quiet....till you decide to remove some fry you may heve several generations.....just remove the large ones....if you remove them all the male will blame the female and most likely kill her. I got my first occies 3 years ago and still have my original male.....he is now paired up with one of his great grand daughters....as he has killed the first couple of mates Once the are old enough to breed my guess is the catties will get a canning....it's only a guess because I've never kept other fish with occies.....I've had a 20mm female attack my finger and bite it hard...they have no fear I don't think the catties will eat fry.....mother occy wouldn't let that happen! Don't worry about algae....it will happen and it is good for the health of the tank I feed mine NLS pellets....vitamins leach from flakes in a couple of minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcloughlin2 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Malaysian trumpet snails - they are great at helping with algae, but I find when they take over they do more harm then good as they seem to produce alot of waste. Easily remove via a gravel clean, but this will be difficult with shellies. Perhaps you could look at getting some other snails? Perhaps Ramshorn snails would be an alternative? The algae is all part of the natural cycling process. Make sure you don't overfeed and perform regular water changes to remove nitrates and phosphates and the algae will have nothing to feed of and should die back. However, green algae loves limestone and once it gets hold the only way to remove the colour is via bleaching so I think you will find your fighting a loosing battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod54 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Malaysian trumpet snails are great....they don't eat eggs....clean up uneaten food Easy to remove....just put a piece of zucchini in a plastic sandwich container at night and remove it in the morning full of snails....repeat as necessary their waste produces lots of infusoria....Great first food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnixd Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 Lets assume you have both sexes in the tank....males get bigger As they grow they will sort out who's who....some will be rejected .....keep an eye for fish hiding in a corner....best remove them or they will be removed by the others ....for Good Once they sort them selves out you may have a male and a few females.....best rearrange the tank with rocks to give females their own space.....male may move between females....but if he doesn't like one he may bury her in her shell I feed mine NLS pellets....vitamins leach from flakes in a couple of minutes they are quite aggressive for something so small. Rod54, at the moment the hierarchy reminds the same. The two hiding under the rock wall gets bullied a lot and I have doubt they can survive long term... do you have an idea how old they are? (I didn’t talk to the seller so I don’t know any background about the occies) ...hope the dominate ones can become a breeding pair.. I’m very surprise for such a small fish they are very demanding for space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod54 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 If you think they are aggressive....try some Black occys!!! They maybe 3/4 months old? bit hard to get a handle on their size. If you can get some photos of them with their fins spread.....I'll take a guess at their sex for you Here's my original "blue" occys ....male on left Females tend to have white edges to rear of dorsal and anal fins.....but this becomes somewhat mixed the more inbreed they are! I've found The tank architecture is best arranged for function rather than asthetics I'd use the rocks to divide the tank into 2 areas....they won't attack what they don't see Rocks need to provide refuge....rather than just a pretty backdrop Once they pair up they use a surprisingly small space....I have my breeding pairs in standard 18inch tanks....end on lots of rocks at rear....light to front only so rock at rear are in the dark....larger fry can hide in rocks Just suggestions that work for me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootie Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Interesting reading. I keep and am breeding meleagris. I moved the dom male and 2 females to a 2ft tank a while back and put the other male in a seperate tank as the dom male kept chasing him into the corner - sadly since then this male has died. Now the dom male has paired up with one of the females who has recently had fry and everytime the other female comes out of her shell (despite being at opposite end of tank with a rock in between) she is chased back in. I am hoping she isn't going to kill her and now I am wondering if I should remove her or perhaps use Rod54 idea of putting in some more eocks - any ideas??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chorrylan Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Malaysian trumpet snails are great....they don't eat eggs....clean up uneaten food just be very, very sure you want the trumpet snails before adding them as it's practically a one-time decision. You add the trumpet snail today and you're going to keep on having them forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnixd Posted October 18, 2009 Author Share Posted October 18, 2009 I've found The tank architecture is best arranged for function rather than asthetics I'd use the rocks to divide the tank into 2 areas....they won't attack what they don't see Rocks need to provide refuge....rather than just a pretty backdrop thank rod54 , I rearrange the shells and rock to serve as a divider. It worked out quite well, instead of two now three have a small territory to claim, the fourth occie (the smallest) still wonders around and gets bullied. i cant get a good pic with their fins spread, but my largest occie does have the white line on both fins and the other two doesnt. im guessing 1 F and 2 M btw no MTS outbreak just yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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