Chris Carpenter is a longtime member of the Grand Valley Aquarium Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a familiar face on the ACA convention speaking circuit. Over the years he's picked up a stack of hobby honors — Breeder of the Year, Aquarist of the Year, Master Breeder, and Old World Cichlid Specialist.

Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika — especially the shell dwellers — have long been his focus in the hobby. He's kept and bred many of these species over the years, along with other shell-dwelling species outside Lake Tanganyika, and is looking forward to sharing what he's learned with the club.

Talk Summary: "All About Shell Dwellers"

Lake Tanganyika is home to some of the most unusual cichlids in the hobby, and its shell-dwelling species are among the most fascinating. Chris will dig into what makes these fish — and the lake they come from — so unique, starting with Tanganyika's strange water chemistry: an extremely high pH and mineral content that, over thousands of years, has built up massive shell beds along the shoreline. Rather than dissolving like they would in most lakes, the snail shells there actually harden and become encrusted with calcium, creating the natural shelters these cichlids have adapted to call home.

Drawing on his own experience keeping and breeding multiple shell-dwelling species, Chris will cover their one-of-a-kind behaviors, care, and breeding in the aquarium — a great talk for anyone curious about small, feisty, endlessly entertaining cichlids.