Shell dweller tank question
- Thread starter squidney101
- Start date
Unfortunatly I have yet to be able to keep any type of shellie, but they are on the top of my list (right beside the julies). 
No the tank will not look full when you first start with just the three, however as I understand it if you get a pair or better, they will be able to saturate the tank before you know it. If you so desire you might be able to get away with some surface dwellers like danios. You could also make the tank look fuller with proper placement of rocks and some plants.
IMO, the joy of keeping shellies, or any other Tang fish for that matter, is not but to watch the number of fish you have, but more the behavior of the fish you have. The idea of a fish whose total world only exists within a few inches around its shell is just so interesting to me. To watch them interact with each other, and take care of each other would just make the tank for me.
Good luck with what you decide!
No the tank will not look full when you first start with just the three, however as I understand it if you get a pair or better, they will be able to saturate the tank before you know it. If you so desire you might be able to get away with some surface dwellers like danios. You could also make the tank look fuller with proper placement of rocks and some plants.
IMO, the joy of keeping shellies, or any other Tang fish for that matter, is not but to watch the number of fish you have, but more the behavior of the fish you have. The idea of a fish whose total world only exists within a few inches around its shell is just so interesting to me. To watch them interact with each other, and take care of each other would just make the tank for me.
Good luck with what you decide!
Thanx for the replys so far. My main concern is that the top will look empty, which is weird for me because all of my tanks are full of plants and decorations. If I can get some surface dwellers in there that would be good, and some rocks I guess for aquascaping. Egunsellers the link doesnt work, it says this page can not be displayed.
Multies will be happy with just a bed of sand and lots of shells but you could add danios or WCM minnows for visual interest though you risk them becoming target fish. A friend of mine added 6 minnows because he had read that dithering multies would encourage them to breed, well he lost all the minnows in just a couple of months as the male multi caught up with each one.
I have a colony of multies in a 24x12x15" and there's a piece of resin rockwork that goes up to the water surface which the multis use. You don't have a lot of room in a 10 to build rockwalls safely, open substrate is a priority so look into other pieces of decor that offer height for visual interest. Lots of people comment on how there's not much colour and not many fish in the tank until they see it again at feeding time! But Orion is right about keeping multies to watch them develop as a colony. I started with a pair last Summer and, despite having given away 6 or 7, now have 12 adults and 8 fry. Always ensure you have more shells than fish.
My advice would be to keep them in a place where you can spend a lot of time watching them but not in a high traffic area so they're always darting for cover.
I have a colony of multies in a 24x12x15" and there's a piece of resin rockwork that goes up to the water surface which the multis use. You don't have a lot of room in a 10 to build rockwalls safely, open substrate is a priority so look into other pieces of decor that offer height for visual interest. Lots of people comment on how there's not much colour and not many fish in the tank until they see it again at feeding time! But Orion is right about keeping multies to watch them develop as a colony. I started with a pair last Summer and, despite having given away 6 or 7, now have 12 adults and 8 fry. Always ensure you have more shells than fish.
My advice would be to keep them in a place where you can spend a lot of time watching them but not in a high traffic area so they're always darting for cover.
