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Which one?

This one shows the escargot shells and fish sizes (those are 1" juvie ocellatus):


The others are:
[link=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/jan1.jpg]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/jan1.jpg" style="COLOR: #4040FF[/link]
[link=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/nov27.jpg]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/nov27.jpg" style="COLOR: #4040FF[/link]
[link=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/dec20.jpg]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/dec20.jpg" style="COLOR: #4040FF[/link]
[link=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/070218e3.jpg]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/070218e3.jpg" style="COLOR: #4040FF[/link]
[link=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/04208edd.jpg]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/04208edd.jpg" style="COLOR: #4040FF[/link]
[link=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/aug13.jpg]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/LittleMousling/Tanks/aug13.jpg" style="COLOR: #4040FF[/link]

Hope that helped!

[/font]

-Molly
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Whereabouts in the UK are you?

but i dont get them up here we only get multis.

Hi ReefRunt;

You will find Ocellatus in the UK, but, like Multies - they do need their own tank. Of the shelldwelling species, Ocellatus is the most aggressive. They may be small but they pack some punch!

Last edited by Malaikah at 12-Jan-2005 11:50

ok thanks iv never seen them over here i dont think we have them

Er, which ones?
You mean the one that's not a link? Those are gold L. ocellatus, and I definitely wouldn't combine them with multis. Great for a second shellie tank, though.

-Molly
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see in the pics tht you put on this site what are they called and do they get along with mutis?

The last one is six gallons, which I wouldn't recommend for anything except what's in that one, a definite pair of Brevis. And even then it's kinda small.

-Molly
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thanks what is your smallest shellie tank?

how do you sex these and what would be the smallest tank size for a trio?

ok these smells i have are 4" inches wide have you guys got any pics of your sheelie tank?

ditto about the escargot shells/large apple snails. unfortunatley its quite hard to find escargot shells here in syndey that are large enough, let alone cheap.

if you get desparate or really dont mind how the tank looks people have used pipe elbows (capped at one end) with success aswell.

Oh yes - you lucky lucky people have big garden snails. I forget about that, we definitely don't up here. Collected a bunch in France though - they were a little small (and a lot dirty) but it's a weird sort of "natural" to have escargot shells I collected myself in the tank. Not quite like having Neothauma shells I collected myself, but ... well.

Agreed that should do for now. They'll breed in practically anything! - but switching to different shells is more than worth it in terms of really seeing how they live.

-Molly
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Reef, that setup would do very well for a trio to begin with, while you hunt down some more shells. Spread the ones in there about evenly though, rather than bunching them together.
*Large empty garden snail shells are also suitable to use - boil them up in a pan of water for a short while first.

I'd include a looooooot more shells. Those are interesting, but not ideal as homes - they're more like caves than shells. Good shells include turbos (like round hermit crab shells - pet stores and craft stores have them), Apple and Mystery snail shells (1-2" diameter), and "Extra-large" escargot shells (gourmet stores and upscale groceries will sell them, and sometimes packaged with ecargot - just double the recipe on the side and cook them in a bowl, ce sont fantastiques).

Most of the areas multis are from in the wild have piles of shells up to twenty feet deep - Lake Tang is so stuffed with minerals the calcium in the shells can stay intact practically forever. This should give you some idea of how they like it - shells shells shells!

That looks a little small, or maybe the shells are much larger than I thought ...

-Molly
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is this an okey set-up?

Reef runt attached this image:

Usually it's safest to sex by size - among multis of the same age, males are much larger, generally. If they're all the same size, raise six - you have a 98% chance of getting both sexes.

A ten gallon is a good minimum for a trio, since they're quite prolific. They can be kept in less but 10 gallons are cheap and convenient, and it's always better to give fish leg room.

-Molly
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