"Toby Marsden" wrote in message
om...

Thanks. I understand - there's no point pushing it if I end up with
dead or stressed fish.

With the shell dwellers (and they do sound fascinating) - what sort of
stocking density should I look towards for my 36" tank? Can several
species be kept together, as is suggested by some articles on the net,
or is it better to combine a single pair/harem with other Tanganyikan
"community" fish - if they exist?

Thanks again for your help!

Toby

Keeping more than two species of shellies in your tank could be rough
with some of the more popular species out there. You could keep a fairly
large colony of Lamprologus multifasciatus or Lamprologus similis easily in
your tank. Perhaps 10-12, keeping in mind they'll breed and the colony will
grow. The Lamprologus ocellatus and L. brevis pair off and may be more
difficult to keep more than a pair in a smaller tank. They become very
territorial when breeding and have been known to bite a hand or two. The L.
ornatipinnis, Neolamprologus signatus or Telmatachromis temporalis 'shell'
you may be able to do with a pair of Julidochromis or possibly a pair of
gobies. You should allow a 20" area for the male to defend around the shell.
This doesn't give much space, but may leave enough for another species to
share.
I've only kept L. brevis and L. multifasciatus so far, so you may want
to check with some of the people on our forum who've kept and bred a larger
array of types and what they had for tankmates.
Tim
www.fishaholics.org