It is quite obvious that the reason that shells are a part of their life got to do with their physical size. Mainly to defend and protect themselves against other bigger predators.
Even in their natural environment which is lake tanganyika, most of them lives in snail shells that are commonly found in the lake.
There are alot of different species of shellies and some cross breeding in the lake over the years has created new variants.
But the most beautiful shellies that especially these days that are quite difficult to hunt for are the Pearly Occellutus or so call meleagries. I am glad and lucky to say that i am one of the proud owners to won the only few pairs in Singapore.
The first pair i owned came from this forummer who was a home breeder call EC. He is a huge shellies collector and even today when i visited his place, i am still amazed with his vast collections and the tank setup he has for them.
Unfortunately due to the lack of knowledge back then in rearing them, my first pair didnt survived.
Recently, while trying to buy some other shellies from him, i managed to convince him to sell me this pair.
Don't belittle these small creatures, they are able to fend off intruder twice their size! Although other smaller shellies will form colony to defend their territory, meleagris are known for their bravery for a one on one challenge.
Just a month ago, the pair spawned and i had 5 little fries now in my baby tank. Hopefully they will grow up well. The issue to in breed them is another worrying factor. Unless i can find new supply of them, if not, sooner or later, the line for them would be lost!
For those who wish to know more about tanganyika lake and has the time to do so...here are some video. A very enriching video!
Hopefully, you will be amazed with this lake as much as i did. I consider it the most beautiful lake in Africa following the malawi lake.
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