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Hello,
I was wondering if I could have 1 or 2 shell dwellers in a 5.5 gallon aquarium?
Also, I would be using an aquaclear mini for filteration and a chrushed coral substrate.


Thanking you in advance


Stephane

Neolamprologus brevis makes a great inhabitant for a 5 gallon tank if its needs are met. First, only a pair is suitable - lone brevis, groups, or two unpaired fish won't "stick to home" the way a pair will, and need more space to roam and disagree. Second, they'll need hard, alkaline, and above all clean water - this last is the hard part in a small tank.

An aquaclear is a great choice, but the crushed coral isn't ideal; the brevis would prefer sand, which allows them to easily dig around their shells and bury them.

Ideally you'd buy a group of young brevis and let them pair off, then remove the four extra fish. While Brevis are easy to sex at a young age your chances of success, especially in such a small tank, are much higher with a pair that picked each other.

Other than that, don't forget good food, shells, and ideally some java moss or hornwort to help keep the tank pristine.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

N. multi's would also be a good choice IMHO. I am keeping them now. They are herem spawners, so they look after their own fry. I am just using sand for substrate and have a air powered corner filter. At the moment I have 1 adult male, 4 females and about 50 fry between 1/8 to 3/4 inch

The problem with multis is that they spawn so much and so fast, they can fill up a small tank like a 5.5 very very quickly. Plus, although they are smaller than brevis, they have larger territories. A multi trio might work, but it's iffy and you would have to find a way to get rid of massive amounts of food. Either find a store that will take them, or have a tank with bigger fish that will eat them. Either way, brevis are just a good choice, if not better than multis.

How'd I do Molly?
- DJ :88)

A trio of Multis or a pair/trio of Brevis can easily be kept in a 5g tank. Small frequent water changes should be done regularly.
If you don't want to be over run with fry, don't feed the adults as much. They'll eat the fry if they're hungry.

I'd personally choose Multis over the Brevis if you want to observe 'true' shelldweller behaviour. They stick a lot closer to their shells and are more interesting to watch. They're both great fish though.






Last edited by Dave. at 01-Apr-2005 05:39

Agreed with DJTJ. Multis are extremely prolific, prefer to live in large groups, and maintain larger territories - that's three strikes against them for a tiny tank.

And if you think multis stick closer to home than brevis, I wonder if you've ever seen a brevis pair! Once paired (which is why I wouldn't ever recommend a single brevis or unpaired fish for a tiny tank) their territory is often about 5" in diameter, and they don't leave it. Ever. Multi males, on the other hand, will patrol the entire area above their females, and a 5 gal doesn't give them much room to do so.

Basically: everyone I know with multis, including me, has ended up giving them larger accomodations because they so clearly need and make use of space. No one I know with brevis has ever needed to upgrade them, or, in fact, done so.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

Multis are extremely prolific

Fry can be removed.

prefer to live in large groups

Three fish in a group is sufficient.

and maintain larger territories

A 5 gallon provides enough room for a trio to live comfortably. They may be prolific breeders, but do you honestly think they would spawn if their environment didn't suit them?

And if you think multis stick closer to home than brevis, I wonder if you've ever seen a brevis pair! Once paired (which is why I wouldn't ever recommend a single brevis or unpaired fish for a tiny tank) their territory is often about 5" in diameter, and they don't leave it. Ever.

I've kept a fair few brevis and a couple of hundred multis over the last three years under a lot of different conditions, and I can tell you now that the brevis hardly ever stuck near their shells as much as the multis do.

Basically: everyone I know with multis, including me, has ended up giving them larger accomodations because they so clearly need and make use of space. No one I know with brevis has ever needed to upgrade them, or, in fact, done so.

I agree with you on that one. I have about 5 tanks just for multis at the moment. I like them a fair bit, so I decided to set up more tanks for them. Obviously not all shelldweller keepers would do this.
The brevis aren't very prolific breeders and are crappy parents compared to other shelldwellers.

If you end up over run with multis there are a hell of a lot of ways to dispose of fry, it's not that hard to do.

The brevis aren't very prolific breeders and are crappy parents compared to other shelldwellers.

That would be a plus, unless you want your tank to be overrun with fry.

What I was trying to say before is that brevis would be a better choice. I'm not saying that multis wouldn't work, but from what I've heard, brevis seem have smaller territories. Also, they live in pairs, so that's less on the biolode. I'm not advising against multis, just saying that if you had to choose....there you go.

- DJ :88)

I've had Brevis that live in harems. The majority prefer to live in pairs, but you sometimes get the occasional male that prefers more than one female.

My posts might look objectionable to yours but the point i'm trying to make is that there's more than one way of keeping tangs. They're a very diverse group of fish. What works for some people might not work for others.

I would agree with what Dave says as there's more than one way of doing things. But there IS a BEST way.

But in this aspect, Brevis are the best bet.
As far as Shell dwellers go, lets all back down from the Master and realize Little Mouslings advise is going to be the one to listen too.