Lamprologus Cross breeding?

[Squirmin Nermin]

Hey guys, I'm setting up a new Tanganyikan tank and have planned to have a group of Lamprologus Ocellatus, and a group of Lamprologus Tigripictilis. That got me thinking.. is there a chance they will cross breed creating hybrids? I'm trying to avoid that. 

[Pwnedn00b]

I've heard that closely related shelldwellers with similar morphologies, like (Gold ocellatus, black ocellatus, blue ocellatus, and meleagris) can crossbreed and should be kept separately. The Tigripictilis looks very different, so I would bet the chances are low. I'd honestly be more concerned about your tank becoming a vortex of death than any potential crossbreeding. I currently keep Neolamprologus Meleagris, and I can tell you that they are meaner than snakes. They have killed each other off when the colony numbers got weird, they will eat each others babies, and have nipped me a couple times. I've heard the gold occies are even worse. Even if you have a very large tank and footprint, a backup tank is a good idea. 

[Squirmin Nermin]

Awesome, thanks for the reply! They would be going in a 75g with plenty of rock work and hides, but like with all fish, I always have a back up plan in the event it doesn't work out. Im glad I got to hear your perspective though, because I've never kept either species yet, and have only seen them spotlighted on videos from Steenfott, and Primetime Aquatics. I'll do some more research before making a final decision. Thanks for the reply!

Edited Friday at 08:51 PM by Squirmin Nermin

[Pwnedn00b]

Glad to hear you've got a backup plan, and a bit jealous that you've got the time and space for them. I'm currently a bit limited in that regard (mine are in a 20). I've only seen the ultra aggressive shellies in species only tanks, but always wondered if I could get away with a larger julidochromis, or synodontis lucipinnis, eretmodus, or adult calvus in a 75 (since they should occupy different areas of the tank and either move a lot or are tough enough to hold their own).

At least with my Meleagris, I've found they don't stay in or over their shells unless guarding fry, instead they occupy all areas of the tank. On the plus side, they don't really rearrange hardscape much compared to multis or similis, so it's possible to have a bit more of a scape that stays. They'll only move shells and the sand around them during breeding.