L. brevis have really small territories, so you could easily keep a two
pairs of them in your tank along with a rock dwelling species like Julies (a
pair) or altolamprologus. I think 4-6 N. multifasciatus or 3-4 N. brevis
along with a pair or trio of altolamprologus (or a pair of julies) would
make for a great tank.

Eric

"Amateur Cichlids" wrote in message
news

"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