Similis are easy colony Tanganyikan shell-dwellers with tons of personality. They are roughly similar in size ; personality as the Multifasciatus shell-dwellers with the following differences: Similis have cleaner stripes that dont get irregular with age like the Multis do. The stripes on Multis stop at gill plate; this is not the case for Similis. Also Similis males are slightly larger than Multi males. In coloration Similis have a copper body with thin white stripes. Multis have a tan body with thin copper stripes. Like most shell-dwellers Similis dig (finer the sand the better; move things around to their liking. They will pick up shells, push them around; bury them. Any snail that gets close to their shell is promptly picked up and dumped away. When mating, a pair will have dance battles around their shell and guard it feverishly.Similis are pretty territorial; do best in a species only tank. They will bully any non-Similis near their shells. That includes your hand; cleaning equipment. I have found that only top dwelling fishes work with them. *Pro tip, Halfbeaks are great top dwellers that wont prey on Similis fry; can handle the high pH/hard-water Similis need. Adult Similis females are smaller (1.5”) than adult males (2.25”). They are hard to sex until they get to adult size. Water chemistry; substrate— They need high pH; hard-water so make things easy; simply use tap water; agronite sand to keep the water hard; the pH up. This combo is stable, easy to maintain; they love to dig in it. If you dont want to use the agronite as your substrate put some in your filter so you still get its buffering benefits.*Pro tip, I found they dig best in fine oolitic agronite sand. Thats right, “oolitic”. Shells— For more natural behavior 1-2” escargot or apple snail shells are best. These are light enough for them to move. Find them on Amazon. Alternatively you can also use 1” diameter capped plastic elbow pipes from Home Depot as “shells”. This makes getting fish/fry out easier (just poop the cap off the elbow) than when they hide in a shell. The Similis just wont be able to move the elbows around.In short, Similis need shells. The more the better. The colony grows faster with more shells. So get at least 3 shells per Similis. No less. More yes. Food;—They eat everything; love crushed cichlid flakes; micro pellets under 1mm diameter. Just make sure it has protein as the 1st ingredient. Approximate Purchase Size: 1/2" to 1" Care Level: Easy Temperament: Semi-Agressive Color Form: Orange, Black, Gray Diet: Omnivore Water Conditions: 75-79° F, KH 7.5-10, pH 7.0-8.5 Max. Size: 2" Family: Cichliadae Minimum Tank Size: 50 gallons Compatibility View Chart Your item may not look identical to the image provided due to variation within species. Purchase size is approximate.
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