I have had the N. similis and L. caudopunctatus for a couple of months and they’ve settled in. Each species has its own 45g custom tank. I posted shortly after I got them about providing multiple shell options.
My expectation was that there would be one type of shell that each species preferred. However, after two months, that has proven to not be the case.
The options provided in both tanks include 1″ PVC elbows with caps, muffin snail shells, Apple snail shells, and Babylonia japonica shells. There is nearly an even distribution of each shell in each tank. If you’re interested in shell types for shellies, I posted about different shells for them back in 2016.
The similis have spawned, and at least three shells contain fry or have fry near them – muffin, apple, and japonica. I am certain I have at least two similis males, but I can’t be certain of the other four, though it appears they’re all females. I saw at least one fry around one muffin shell, and there isn’t another shell close by. Since there was no adult fish around the muffin shell when I saw the fry, I can’t be certain if it’s a transient or not. It’s unlikely, given its size, but there was no female nearby. At least one male favors a PVC elbow.
I believe the caudos are still too young to spawn, but their current choice of shells is also mixed. I have seen them occupy everything except a PVC elbow.