Shelldweller Selection?

[Orion]

I agree with C-man on the types of shells he pointed out. Those are normally the 'best'. Do keep this in mind too BV, crud and crap is still going to need to be gotten out of the tank, and with enough shells in a tank, that can be a task in itself. Even though in the Lake some shellies (like mulites) are found in shell beds that can be meters deep, it's not feasable to do this in our home tanks.

I wouldn't think to much about shells till you find out what species your going to get. Multies like several shells per fish, while brevis normaly only use one per fish. Also I would avoid any shells that have really tight spirals as I've heard that some fish can become traped in them unable to get out.

 

[Big Vine]

C-Man...that was my initial thought too (the snail shells) after reading up a bit on shellies. I'm thinking white sand too. *thumbsup2

I wouldn't think to much about shells till you find out what species your going to get

Gold ocellatus.
I watched a video of some posted in the species article in the profiles section on cichlid-forum, and I was quite impressed at how active and playful they can be.

There is a chance that I'll end up seeing some other shellies at that place that Cindy mentioned in Lincoln (thanks Cindy!), but to be perfectly honest, I really want to avoid making an impulse selection.

With my luck lately (car accident today = $$$ down the crapper, which = delay on getting shellies ) I'll end up with something that looks good, but has no 'personality' and very little 'entertainment value,' so I'd just as soon make a commitment to the gold occies.

What can you tell me off the top of your head about the gold occies' shell requirements?

Thanks again guys.
BV

 

[Orion]

An accident? man that sucks, sorry to hear. Your ok I hope?

As far as shells, I would go with something light weight. They have been known to just pick up their shells and move them to where they want them, and if the shells are too heavy then they won't be able to do that. In the end it's up to you, but it's pretty neat to get home and see where everyone has decided to move to today.

 

[Big Vine]

No one was injured Orion, thanks.
I was following a car in the right lane. Someone pulled out in front of him from a sidestreet/driveway; forcing him to swerve into the left lane. I followed suit just in time to see the car in front of me dart back into the right lane (in front of the car that cut us off) before narrowly avoiding clipping an SUV that had slowed to a halt to turn left (no traffic control lights at this spot) in the left lane.

Unable to move back to the right (because the jerk who cut us off was there), I had to brake hard in the hopes of stopping before hitting the SUV that was turning in the left lane (not an actual turn-lane).

Needless to say, the tires didn't grip on the moist, sub-zero degree pavement, so I slid into (under) her back bumper. The car that caused this mess was long gone, and someone had to be cited, so that poor sap was me ('fixed object collide' ).

Lesson I've learned is to just hold my lane next time and give the guy in front of me whip-lash by rear-ending him, if need be. This cost $2,000.00+ in damages to our car and an $85.00 fee for a 'defensive driving' class in order to waive the citation.


Back to the shellies...
I'll use the snail shells for 'functional' purposes. Different types will be added as I see fit...for aesthetic purposes.

I'll be keeping in mind what you said about the crud build-up that goes along with having too many shells when I'm throwing things together.

BV

 

[Orion]

hey at least it wasn't any worse than that and no one was hurt.

If you decide that you want more or different shells, I have a bunch that I orderd from the site C-man gave that you can have. Just let me know if you want some.

 

[Big Vine]

Yup, we all made it out alive. lol

As for the shells...thanks Orion...the more, the merrier.
From my collection, I've got several of the snail-type ones (like C-Man circled) that would play a functional role for the occies.

Think the half-dozen or so that I have will be sufficient?

I want to start off with a pair (or whatever is recommended) of gold occies and let them breed and form a colony. Not sure how many I can ultimately have in total in a 10 gallon tank (I may even use the 12 gal. Eclipse for this, since it's a better display tank), but it gives you an idea.

I really haven't looked into whether or not the occies require a bunch of shells each, or just one or two like the brevis. If they require more, I'll take you up on your offer. If not, I may get by on what I've got.

I can use some of my other shells more for decorative purposes.

Thanks Orion.
BV

 

[VirgoWolf]

Man V, you are worse than us women with this changing your mind thing! LOL

Got me thinking shellies too now... humm, this thread might come in handy... but I think I'll wait untill we get a fish room going to add any more tanks! LOL Gives me time to think about species and setup and such.

You always have interesting threads, I love hearing about your tanks, even my hubby (who never checks MFT) will see a page up and go read your threads LOL. You are one of the most entertaining members of this forum.

 

[Big Vine]

Man V, you are worse than us women with this changing your mind thing! LOL

Hehe...it's true, but to be fair, I'm just trying to find something I'll be able to put in the tank and just leave it be. Something different that will keep me entertained without getting too big.

The convicts didn't quite fit the bill, since ultimately I feel that even a pair of them gets far too big for a 10 gal. (but I knew that to begin with).

Out of my 6 tanks, 2 of them are 'finished' (that's impossible, but you know what I mean).
Once I do a shelldweller setup, that'll make it 3 out of 6.
Rest of the tanks will be in constant transition as cray-rearing and platy/krib/convict fry-rearing setups.

Hope that makes sense. lol

You always have interesting threads, I love hearing about your tanks, even my hubby (who never checks MFT) will see a page up and go read your threads LOL. You are one of the most entertaining members of this forum.

Aww...thanks, Virgo. Like you, I'm just one of the many members here whose fishkeeping 'adventures' keep us all wanting to try different setups.
With the work situation (immigration issues...long story) being as it is for me, I have a lot of free time to take care of my setups (although I still feel like it's overwhelming at times, lol). I love taking pics and sharing them here on the forum, and I'm just hoping that people don't think that my frequent posting is a little too 'overkill.'

BV

 

[Helena21]

Cool BV, i cant wait too see pics of your shellies. when will you be getting them?

I don't think that your frequent posting is an 'overkill', in fact i LOVE reading your essays

 

[VirgoWolf]

LOL I think we all love reading our 'essays' LOL.

I know what you mean, we're alot alike, only instead of clearing out the tank for the newcommers, I end up setting up another tank and keeping them all! LOL

 

[Big Vine]

we're alot alike, only instead of clearing out the tank for the newcommers, I end up setting up another tank and keeping them all! LOL

Hehe...this is exactly what I'd be doing if we lived in a house.
Let me repeat that a bit differently. That is exactly what I will be doing when we move into a house. lol

BV

 

[Dr.Gonzo]

Pet World on 138th and Q has a few different types of shelldwellers (I'm no expert but they looked like them) you might want to try there.

 

[Big Vine]

Yup...already checked, thanks.
All they've got is marlieris. Pretty neat, but not what I'm lookin' for. I already asked them about the gold ocellatus, and they said they couldn't get any.

BV