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Shell Dwellers (Multies) Questions


FLFishChik
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So, I saw the YouTube video of Irene (Girl Talks Fish) preparing a 20g long for some Shell Dwellers she was gifted from @Zenzo (Tazawa Tanks) and I think I have found my new fish obsession. My question is: Could they be kept in a 10g tank? Irene had 6, I think, but originally was going to have 8. Would 4 (1 male, 3 females) be too many? Is it even possible in a 10 gallon? Is a group of 4 too little a group? I have so many questions!

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On 7/28/2022 at 9:35 PM, 411fishkeeping said:

Hey @FLFishChik, I haven't kept shell dwellers before myself, but I can tell you that, once you get a thriving community going, they won't have any room to grow! It is just going to be harder in a 10, but like Cory says, "Anything can be done." Good luck!

So, they breed pretty easily, I take it?

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On 7/29/2022 at 11:16 AM, FLFishChik said:

So, I saw the YouTube video of Irene (Girl Talks Fish) preparing a 20g long for some Shell Dwellers she was gifted from @Zenzo (Tazawa Tanks) and I think I have found my new fish obsession. My question is: Could they be kept in a 10g tank? Irene had 6, I think, but originally was going to have 8. Would 4 (1 male, 3 females) be too many? Is it even possible in a 10 gallon? Is a group of 4 too little a group? I have so many questions!

I was thinking the exact same thing! I think they look like a great fish to keep! I was thinking of keeping some in a 20 gallon in the near future...

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On 7/29/2022 at 12:41 AM, anitstuk said:

 

 

 

On 7/29/2022 at 12:28 AM, BradfordAquatics said:

I had a little group of four in a 10 once.  They did well, but they are definitely prolific fish and, like 411 said, that doesn't leave much space for fry. If I had them again, I would definitely go with a bigger tank, but they did do just fine in the 10.

do they eat the fry if there isn’t room or does the tank just become overcrowded?

On 7/29/2022 at 12:41 AM, anitstuk said:

I was thinking the exact same thing! I think they look like a great fish to keep! I was thinking of keeping some in a 20 gallon in the near future...

20g long maybe my better option. Petco has them on sale now too!

On 7/28/2022 at 9:43 PM, 411fishkeeping said:

In all the videos I have seen, they seem to proliferate. In my personal experience, I have always thanked myself for going with a larger tank than a smaller one. 

I’m thinking I’ll need to get a bigger tank

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I have been keeping multies for a few years now. Can you keep some in a 10 gallon tank? Absolutely. Would I do it? No. They are pretty prolific little fish, and will quickly populate the 10 gallon. In my years of keeping them, I have not noticed adults preying on fry at all. I started with 6 in a 20 long which within a year was full, and moved them to a 40 breeder, which they have filled up pretty good. I pulled out 18 to to take to a swap a couple months ago and couldn't even tell that some were gone. I constantly see young fry swimming down by the shells. Since they stay down around the bottom of the tank 99% of the time, I would go for a tank with the biggest footprint, and a 20 long is in my mind the perfect tank to keep a group of them in. 

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On 7/29/2022 at 6:56 AM, Andy's Fish Den said:

I have been keeping multies for a few years now. Can you keep some in a 10 gallon tank? Absolutely. Would I do it? No. They are pretty prolific little fish, and will quickly populate the 10 gallon. In my years of keeping them, I have not noticed adults preying on fry at all. I started with 6 in a 20 long which within a year was full, and moved them to a 40 breeder, which they have filled up pretty good. I pulled out 18 to to take to a swap a couple months ago and couldn't even tell that some were gone. I constantly see young fry swimming down by the shells. Since they stay down around the bottom of the tank 99% of the time, I would go for a tank with the biggest footprint, and a 20 long is in my mind the perfect tank to keep a group of them in. 

Thank you! I think I’ll be making a trip to Petco this weekend for a 20g long!

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On 7/28/2022 at 6:16 PM, FLFishChik said:

So, I saw the YouTube video of Irene (Girl Talks Fish) preparing a 20g long for some Shell Dwellers she was gifted from @Zenzo (Tazawa Tanks) and I think I have found my new fish obsession. My question is: Could they be kept in a 10g tank? Irene had 6, I think, but originally was going to have 8. Would 4 (1 male, 3 females) be too many? Is it even possible in a 10 gallon? Is a group of 4 too little a group? I have so many questions!

Doable in a 10 (I have done so many times for breeding), but you will have a tank full of fish in no time. 20 long is better in my opinion. Wonderful fish though...have fun!

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On 7/29/2022 at 11:46 AM, Zenzo said:

Doable in a 10 (I have done so many times for breeding), but you will have a tank full of fish in no time. 20 long is better in my opinion. Wonderful fish though...have fun!

Tank full of fish in no time sounds like a good feeder for the Fish Swap section of the forum... Just saying 🙂 

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On 7/29/2022 at 12:46 PM, Zenzo said:

Doable in a 10 (I have done so many times for breeding), but you will have a tank full of fish in no time. 20 long is better in my opinion. Wonderful fish though...have fun!

Thanks! 20g long it is!!!

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