Shell-dweller cichlid care
Neolamprologus multifasciatus · Lake Tanganyika, Africa
Shell dwellers live in empty snail shells on a sand bed: give each fish a shell or two in a 10 gallon long or larger tank, hard alkaline water (pH 7.5 to 9) and 75 to 80 °F.
- Tank size
- 10 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 80 °F (24 to 27 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Adult size
- 2 in (males about 2 in, females about 1.4 in)
- pH
- 7.5 to 9
- Hardness (GH)
- 10 to 20 dGH
- Lifespan
- 8 to 10 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 10 gallon
20¼ × 10½ × 12 9/16 in outsideHow to keep shell-dweller cichlids
Shell dwellers live in empty snail shells on a sand bed: give each fish a shell or two in a 10 gallon long or larger tank, hard alkaline water (pH 7.5 to 9) and 75 to 80 °F. A colony of one male and a few females breeds steadily and defends its shells hard for a fish this small.
Diet: Carnivore: small pellets, frozen brine shrimp and cyclops. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Shell-dweller cichlid tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Silvertip tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–80 °F
Lemon tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Black-barred limia
2 in · 20+ gal · 75–79 °F
Bloodfin tetra
2.2 in · 20+ gal · 65–82 °F
Endler's livebearer
1.8 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
X-ray tetra
1.8 in · 15+ gal · 75–82 °F
Head and tail light tetra
1.8 in · 15+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: shell-dweller cichlids need 75 to 80 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: shell-dweller cichlids need 75 to 80 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Cherry shrimp: Shell-dweller cichlids eat shrimp.
Amano shrimp: Shell-dweller cichlids eat shrimp.
Ghost shrimp: Shell-dweller cichlids eat shrimp.
What a shell-dweller cichlid tank needs
A tank of 10 US gallons or more (such as the 10 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, S
Rated by the maker for 7–10 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon shell-dweller cichlid tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon shell-dweller cichlid tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 50W
Shell-dweller cichlids need 75 to 80 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding shell-dweller cichlids.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 80 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 10 gallon tank · Heaters for a 10 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common shell-dweller cichlid problems
- Too few shells means fights; give more shells than fish.
- Soft or acidic water does not suit them.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Neolamprologus multifasciatus. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Shell-dweller cichlid Richard A. Ingebrigtsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Silvertip tetra Filtropat; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish Dirk Godlinski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lemon tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black-barred limia Janet Cremetti, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bloodfin tetra VGW2006, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Endler's livebearer Dgrummon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- X-ray tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Head and tail light tetra Deadlyballistics (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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