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All of those shells are appropriate except the muffins, which are too large. If you like those last ones, there's a super cheap source at [link=http://www.seashellworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=S1700&Category_Code=Moon]http://www.seashellworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=S1700&Category_Code=Moon" style="COLOR: #4040FF[/link].


Brevis pros:
Usually easy to find
Lovely, especially older males
Easy to breed but not excessively prolific
An ideal choice for a smaller tank because of their small territories

Cons:
Less tolerant of fry

Multi pros:
Usually easy to find
Prolific

Cons:
So prolific they soon overcrowd a small tank

-Molly
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which shells would be the best?
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?breeding&1111676404
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?breeding&1111849201
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?breeding&1111872958
or do they just need small ones like:
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?breeding&1112064601

Well i like the multis and the brevis, what are the pros and cons of these guys?

what is the easiest way to sex them? anyone have picturess? I have read that they seem to like to eat their fry if they spawn again, anyone have any experience with that?

Last edited by Hooktor at 23-Mar-2005 20:35

It varies a lot, but I've not personally seen them at more than $10 per. And since they're quite sexable at a young age, you don't absolutely have to buy a group of juvies to pair off, though ideally you'd be able to let them choose their own partners.

-Molly
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N. brevis looks nice, what do they usually cost per fish?

An internal filter will be fine if you keep the intake well above the sand, although a power filter would be better (takes up less tank space, a more efficient filter overall).
Most kinds of sand are fine; what species of shelldweller are you thinking of? "COlony" usually means N. multifasciatus, which cares very little for substrate but wants a serious shellpile - I don't mean two shells per fish, I mean you can't see the substrate for the shells.
On the other hand, a better choice for a 10 is N. brevis, which does some digging and burying and would like sand and sparse shells, so it depends on species. For more species and general shellie information, you might try looking around http://www.shelldwellers.com.
No plants required, although I'd recommend at least a little java moss or duckweed thrown in.

Shells: you can get escargot shells very cheaply on Ebay, or you can buy turbos from the pet store or a craft store (turbos are too heavy for shellies to move and can be expensive, though). There are a number of other options but those are the most common.

Last edited by LittleMousling at 23-Mar-2005 11:58

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!