Shell Dwelling Cichlids

I want to set up a tank specifically for shell-dwelling cichlids.

What do I need to know about them?

What's the minimum tank size? Would a 10 gallon be too small?

Are they difficult to keep?

How many do I need to get?

Shell dweller cichlids are in the Lamprologus/ Neolamprologus genus and come from Lake Tanganyika in the African Rift Valley, where the GH is around 400-450ppm and the pH ranges from 8.5-9.0. However, they are fine in water with a GH around 300-350ppm and a pH around 8.0-8.5. Most people aim for a GH of 350ppm and a pH of 8.5.

Get a tank that is 2ft long or bigger.
Have beach sand on the bottom.
Have a heap of snail shells in the tank with the opening facing up.

They aren't easy to sex until mature so most people buy a group of 6-10 juveniles and let them grow up together. When they pr off, they breed prolifically and you end up with hundreds of babies that will need rehoming.

They are easy to keep but prefer frozen and live foods over dry foods. Most will learn to eat some dry food but don't expect them to straight away.

Cycle their tank before getting the fish because the high pH (8.5) causes any ammonia to become extremely toxic.

Do regular water changes and filter cleaning and they are fine.

If you have soft water with a low GH, you will need to use a Rift Lake water conditioner to raise the GH, KH & pH. You need to make up the water 24 hours in advance so all the mineral salts can dissolve completely in the water before you add it to the tank.

Colin_T said:

Shell dweller cichlids are in the Lamprologus/ Neolamprologus genus and come from Lake Tanganyika in the African Rift Valley, where the GH is around 400-450ppm and the pH ranges from 8.5-9.0. However, they are fine in water with a GH around 300-350ppm and a pH around 8.0-8.5. Most people aim for a GH of 350ppm and a pH of 8.5.

Get a tank that is 2ft long or bigger.
Have beach sand on the bottom.
Have a heap of snail shells in the tank with the opening facing up.

They aren't easy to sex until mature so most people buy a group of 6-10 juveniles and let them grow up together. When they pr off, they breed prolifically and you end up with hundreds of babies that will need rehoming.

They are easy to keep but prefer frozen and live foods over dry foods. Most will learn to eat some dry food but don't expect them to straight away.

Cycle their tank before getting the fish because the high pH (8.5) causes any ammonia to become extremely toxic.

Do regular water changes and filter cleaning and they are fine.

If you have soft water with a low GH, you will need to use a Rift Lake water conditioner to raise the GH, KH & pH. You need to make up the water 24 hours in advance so all the mineral salts can dissolve completely in the water before you add it to the tank.

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would it be possible to keep them in a 10g? its only 4 inches short of 2 ft.

specifically, i want exlamprologus similis

just realized i misspelled that
lamprologus similis

You could keep a pr in there, but getting the pr is the hard part. If you buy a group of young and grow them up, then monitor them when they start to breed. Any that get picked on should be removed.

Colin_T said:

You could keep a pr in there, but getting the pr is the hard part. If you buy a group of young and grow them up, then monitor them when they start to breed. Any that get picked on should be removed.

Click to expand...

ok thanks. I think i might build a 20g long from scratch

I only had neolamprologus multifasciatus, not the kind you want, but I made the mistake (often advised) from the beginning

You are responsible for dividing their territories. it is not a good idea and does not work in the long run to just put a lot of shells all over the floor and leave it at that.
What I did was place a couple of shells, like 6-10 in one place, leave surface opened, place another couple of shells there, placed a rock between to divide the visual field. I tried with piles of sand at first, but that didnt last long, since they dig. Some shells move away, they may move and ofcourse they dont stay in the territory you want them to.
Plants work a bit too, but nothing they can dig out, anubias tied to a rock will work. If the males can see each other, and you have a smaller tank, they will fight and the females will fight and it is not going to be that easy. You also have to have more heaps than males, which you will be able to determine later on (by behavior)
Once introduced, they spend a week or more huddled in one cluster and then start dividing

Including a screenshot of too many shells and anubias divisions I had, this didnt work that well, too many shells mean too large place to guard and it made the males stressed

this setup worked better



excuse the algae is an old photo anyway.

Colin_T said:

You could keep a pr in there, but getting the pr is the hard part. If you buy a group of young and grow them up, then monitor them when they start to breed. Any that get picked on should be removed.

Click to expand...

have you ever kept shell dwellers?

yes