Shell Dwelling Fish

[didz04]

Hi guys how does this setup sound for a group of shell dweller fish?

I have a shallow tank 24 " by 16 " by 13 " high. 20G
I am going to use ocean rock in the middle and surround it with a 1" deep sand bed and big sea shells from snails.
Filtration wise I thought of a 4 fluval the bigger version will be enough. Add a spray bar as it does 900lph.
Lighting wise I have a Boyu 3 14w t5 light unit with 2 6500ks and 1 blue (standard lights).

I am painting the 16" x 13" glass piece black and that side is going to be the back piece against the wall. I like a 3 way view and on the right is my desk and on the left is my bed so it will be something nice to watch while I am studying.

My questions are:
1. Can I stock 3 different species of shell dwelling fish in this tank?
2. Are they just like the rock dwelling cichlids that need lots of neighbors to cut down their aggression?
3. How many would you recommend altogether in a tank this size?
4. Will they get on with other species of fish other than cichlids?

Thanks, any help is appreciated.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Tanganyikan shell dwellers do not work on the same priciple as Malawi Mbuna, you should not be overstocking. You might get away with one trio hareem of shell dweller with one pair/trio rock dweller, given they will breed you want plenty of spare stocking capacity.

 

[didz04]

Thanks Nobody of the Goat,

What are the sumbu shell families like? Will they do well?
Have you kept any species of shell dwellers and which?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

"Kiriyama" (Sean) is the man to talk to about Tanganyika on here in the Old Wolrd section, amongst his collection is a breeding colony of "Sumbu dwarf." Sean's and other members setup have made me want to try a Tanganyika setup but yet to do to date, the stock typically found in LFSs barely touches the surface of this wonderful lake.

Something like a trio of Sumbu dwarf with a pair/trio of Neolamprologus caudopunctatus could work well, but start a thread in the Old World section and get some feedback there.