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i just read some info on the shell dwelling cichlid and was wondering wat other people think on these cichlids. i am still on the fence with these guys and am wondering wat these guys look like and wat are the different breads, i aslo have been looking around at my LFS's and haven't seen them will the be advertised as shell dwellers or as something else. i would really apreciate pics please

They're WONDERFUL! I have seven species, which says something about how addictive they are. Pictures eh? I can do that ...

The most common shelldweller is the multi (N. multifasciatus), and for good reason. They're small, pretty, personable, and a lovely colony fish that does well in small tanks, ten gallons and up. Sorry about the picture quality ...


A closely related species, N. similis, is another colony dweller but does better as a pair fish in smaller tanks. It looks a lot like the multi but with light stripes rather than dark and a few additional stripes on the head and neck.


Another popular species, brevis forms a close pair bond and actually cohabits. These are one of the easier species to find in pet stores and are actually well-suited to certain hardwater communities because they maintain small territories and don't harass other fish generally.


L. ocellatus is another popular one, largely because the color morphs can be so gorgeous. This is a more aggressive species. Gold morph:


Related to ocellatus, meleagris/stappersi is a more retiring species not well suited to community Tang tanks, but absolutely gorgeous when it displays. One of my favorites.


L. hecqui is in a different group, with meeli and boulengeri. It's an attractive, blotchy shellie, larger than the species above and with a definite bit of attitude.


An interesting one is Altolamprologus compressiceps "Sumbu," which is actually a variety of A. comp, a much larger fish, that's developed a tendency to stay small and behave like a true shelldweller, not a cavedweller. Lovely and interesting shelldweller for a slightly larger tank.


A slightly different case - Caudopunctatus is considered a shelldweller but tends to prefer caves for general life, then switches to shells for spawning and fry-raising. They're lovely fish, with a lot of vibe.



Whew! Well, that's not all of them, but it's all the species I've kept and so all the ones I've got pictures of. Hope that helped![/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]

Last edited by LittleMousling at 07-Jan-2005 21:50[/font]

-Molly
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L.M. - awesome post! Thank you for the insights and great pics.