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I'm going to be setting up a new 20 gallon tank in the near future, and I'd really like to try Tanganyikan cichlids, specifically shellies and/or other small neolamps, and/or julidochromis. This little 20 gallon isn't the 40 breeder I'd hoped to get, but it's a start and the bigger tank may be possible next year.

Is there any chance of Mez's article on shellie tanks being reposted? The link is broken, and it's something I'd love to read.

So, first thing first: I have really soft tap water. Beyond crushed coral and limestone, will I need to harden the water more? What Gh/Kh range am I aiming for? Any recommended products for buffering the water? What about other additives like African cichlid salts or Tanganyika buffers--A waste of money?

Is crushed coral a good substrate or should I use sand? What about the special cichlid substrates that look like black and white mixed sand?

Are plants completely impossible in a shellie tank? What about anubias, mosses, crypts? Anybody have any luck with didiplis diandra?

And finally, the fish: is a 20 gallon (standard 24x12x16) too small for more than one species? Can I mix shell-dwellers and cave-dwellers like brevis and neolamp. cylindricus? What about shellies and julis? Or is the tank only big enough for one species?

Will snails like nertites and MTS do well in this kind of tank?

Anything else I should know? Thanks!!!

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

I currently have 6 Tang tanks running, so I'll give you my thoughts...

Water: I don't use an additives; to be totally honest I've never concerned myself with the Gh/Kh of my water, only pH. Substrate & shells can buffer the water, there are also homemade 'recipes' for buffers. What's important is stability.

Sand is fine for any of these type species except N. multifasciatus, who do not like substrate and will do their best to move it out of their way. Sand can also be mixed with crushed coral or aragonite.

The only plant I've tried in my tanks is Java fern.

In a 20g I'd really stick with one species to avoid any agression problems. For shellies, multies are a good choice if you'd like a colony setup. Smaller julies (ornatus, transcriptus) are the best choice for a 20g. Are there any Tangs you are especially interested in?

I've heard of people keeping MTS in these tanks with no problems, while others have experiences the snails eating eggs.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Are there any Tangs you are especially interested in?

You're kidding, right? There are SO many...

I really love the concept of a shellie tank. I will most likely buy my cichlids from Aquabid, and there have been a few sellers on there with very uncommon species, or variations of species that I have been interested in. There was recently a brevis species with vertical stripes like multies that were absolutely gorgeous. And I've noticed that you, too, have some auctions up occasionally, Theresa.

Another fish I've been looking at are Lamprologus Cylindricus. They're a cave-dweller that gets about 3"-3.5" long. I love the wide stripes and blue fin-edges.

My LFS has some beautiful Brichardi in an African display tank, and they've actually bred and many of the fry managed to survive. (In an LFS of all places!) The bright yellow lelupi types are very attractive, too. Would these species get too big or be too aggressive for a 20 gal?

And then there are the julis. There are many people on Aquabid selling all kinds of Julis, including some with particularly unusual and vibrant coloring. I know the least about this type of cichlid (of the ones I'm interested in), so I don't know what kind of tank setup they'd like, though I assume a rockscape with caves and hiding places would be adaquate, or are they a type that digs a hole in the substrate as a "nest"? Do some julis get too large for my setup, or do most species saty within 3-4 inches? (or is that too big? If so, then I'm probably out of luck with the birchardi and cylindricus, too)

The more I think about it, the more a single species shellie tank sounds like my best bet. If it was a 20 long instead of a standard 20, I'd go for one of the larger species, but I think I just needed to write it all out to figure that out. I'll probably have lots of questions in the next month or so as I set up the tank (gotta wait 2 more paychecks), and then I'll think about what specific fish...

Thanks!

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

You're kidding, right? There are SO many...

I know what you mean, I just didn't know if there was a particular species you absolutely wanted.

Leleupi are gorgeous but they're territorial and if you ended up with a pair I think you'd have some big agression problems.

Brichardi are probably best in a species tank. They'll pair up while still relatively small and establish strong bonds. They're very defensive of their fry and what ends up happening is each generation will help take care of the next.

There are a few small julies that would be ok in a 20g: dickfeldi, transcriptus, ornatus. Important not to mix julies, lots of caves for breeding and hiding places. I'm not sure about the other species but I believe that while julies are cave spawners their preference is near the substrate which might cause issues if kept in a tank with shellies.

I'm currently trying out N. meleagris (stappersi) and A. calvus in a 20 long. The stapps are the most agressive of the 3 types of shellies I keep, and have shown the calvus which part of the tank is off limits. It'll be interesting to see what happens as the calvus grow larger, and/or the stapps start breeding.

Hope I helped a bit

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

I'm currently trying out N. meleagris (stappersi) and A. calvus in a 20 long. The stapps are the most agressive of the 3 types of shellies I keep, and have shown the calvus which part of the tank is off limits. It'll be interesting to see what happens as the calvus grow larger, and/or the stapps start breeding.

That sounds fantastic, and I saw your tank photo with the pile of rocks/caves in the middle and the shells scattered around. Is that the tank these guys are in? I'd be very interested to know how that goes over time.

Have you ever considered keeping dither fish like whiteclouds, danios, or barbs with shellies? It's probably not necessary at all, but might be nice to have some upper water fish, and a bunch of cyprichromis isn't an option in this case

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Have you ever considered keeping dither fish

I considered getting dithers after my multies arrived...they were my first Tangs, and before they got comfortable I never saw them except at feeding time. Now they're out most of the time and will surface feed. My brevis grow-out tank is crazy, little fish everywhere My julies are in a 29g, which is high. Dither fish would probably make the tank look nicer but I really want to breed them so I'll stick with a species tank.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean