Neolamprologus Multifasciatus

[blobaugh]

I enjoy the fish threads on here, and I enjoy my Neolamprologus Multifasciatus tank immensely, so I figured I would try a fish thread of my own

In June of 2022 my shelly colony was almost wiped out by an equipment malfunction ( See https://www.wafishbox.com/forums/threads/narrowly-averted-disaster-in-the-shelly-colony.15778/ ). In the weeks since, the survivors have not only done well, they have thrived. Today there are over a dozen babies of various sizes!

Here is a quick video that I shot during feeding time last week (whoops, meant to post this back then!)

The tank is a 20 gallon long, with escargot shells for homes. The plants are fake.

This tank sits next to my desk and I love watching these little guys darting around while I work!

 

[sir_keith]

Nice video! Impossible not to be charmed by Multi's!

 

[blobaugh]

Nice video! Impossible not to be charmed by Multi's!

Indeed! If I did not have kids pulling me away constantly I would sit there for hours!

 

[blobaugh]

September 9, 2022 update. The colony is doing quite well. As you can see from the video, there is a large range of ages amongst the babies, with a new group of them appearing in the left corner just a couple days ago! Very exciting! I would love to have to set up the big tank for them soon!

Note: Not sure why the video shows as broken. Try the play button anyways! Works for me.

 

[fishguy1978]

September 9, 2022 update. The colony is doing quite well. As you can see from the video, there is a large range of ages amongst the babies, with a new group of them appearing in the left corner just a couple days ago! Very exciting! I would love to have to set up the big tank for them soon!

Note: Not sure why the video shows as broken. Try the play button anyways! Works for me.

Careful what you ask for my young padawan.

 

[blobaugh]

I have a 90 gallon tank sitting in my basement, waiting for the excuse strong enough for my wife to let it emerge. Even have the tank fully designed in my head. hehe.

 

[blobaugh]

October update- Babies everywhere! The colony is going real strong, as you can see in the video. One of my favorite parts about cichlids is how they know and interact with their person. This tank is next to my desk, so they see me all day (work from home), and I feed them. Whenever I walk into the room they all come zooming out wanting food. Anyone else and they scatter and hide. It truly is amazing when they hide, it looks like an empty tank!

 

[blobaugh]

Dec 2022 update

The Neolamprologus Multifaciatus community had an explosive recovery! The video does not adequately capture just how packed this aquarium is.

The original babies are all grown up and starting to have their own babies now.

Shellies are fascinating. Even though there are a lot in this tank, most of the time it looks like there are only a handful, as they spend much of their time in their shells.

Time to start rehoming! If any of y'all would like some, let me know.

 

[John58Ford]

Dec 2022 update

The Neolamprologus Multifaciatus community had an explosive recovery! The video does not adequately capture just how packed this aquarium is.

The original babies are all grown up and starting to have their own babies now.

Shellies are fascinating. Even though there are a lot in this tank, most of the time it looks like there are only a handful, as they spend much of their time in their shells.

Time to start rehoming! If any of y'all would like some, let me know.

This is the usual outcome with multis around here, welcome to the club lol. I'm pretty sure at times numbers over 10-15 multi per gallon happen in my tanks, we have a fairly saturated market too. Maybe we need to start up a fishbox export market.

 

[sir_keith]

This is the usual outcome with multis around here, welcome to the club lol. I'm pretty sure at times numbers over 10-15 multi per gallon happen in my tanks, we have a fairly saturated market too. Maybe we need to start up a fishbox export market.

True enough, which makes it all the more mystifying that Multi's are still being listed for $15-20 each by online vendors. We need to ask @fishguy1978 about this, as most of our Multi's derive from his stock.

 

[lloyd378]

True enough, which makes it all the more mystifying that Multi's are still being listed for $15-20 each by online vendors. We need to ask @fishguy1978 about this, as most of our Multi's derive from his stock.

Even the multies that have been at aquarium paradise has fry the other day….

Those also came from fishguy1978. Haha

It’s really nice to be saturated rather than not being able to find them anywhere.

Currently things that are almost impossible to find locally are:
Amphilophus red isletas ( which madness and I flooded the market with back in 2015ish

Hemichromis fasciatus / frempongi / elongatus… which were readily available in 2018ish but no one had them currently except for a few private collectors.

But back to my point. I loved when I had the mulities and not really sure why I lost them all, but currently I am happy with my setups.

I may be in the market in January to buy some more for my classroom 40g tank as the fish in their will be coming home in 2 weeks and I like to restore the tank after break.

 

[sir_keith]

I may be in the market in January to buy some more for my classroom 40g tank as the fish in their will be coming home in 2 weeks and I like to restore the tank after break.

You might consider Julidiochromis ornatus for this tank instead of the Multi's, or even both. The Julies are fascinating because they set up breeding colonies in which the older fry help take care of the younger ones; that is, all the fishes within the colony are part of a 'family.' Very cool. I have young J. ornatus that I could set you up with if you're interested. Of course, I have Multi's as well.

​

 

[fishguy1978]

True enough, which makes it all the more mystifying that Multi's are still being listed for $15-20 each by online vendors. We need to ask @fishguy1978 about this, as most of our Multi's derive from his stock.

My original stock were from a hobbyist on CL and then an additional 15 or so from a breeder in Stanwood who was closing up and moving. Some if not all of those went to @sir_keith 3-4yrs ago with me retaining some fry and juveniles. I have not brought in any new blood.

I have not been able to sell to local stores for a while. AP has imported from a national supplier.

 

[lloyd378]

You might consider Julidiochromis ornatus for this tank instead of the Multi's, or even both. The Julies are fascinating because they set up breeding colonies in which the older fry help take care of the younger ones; that is, all the fishes within the colony are part of a 'family.' Very cool. I have young J. ornatus that I could set you up with if you're interested. Of course, I have Multi's as well.

View attachment 12204​

My original plan was to do a planted community tank w/ guppies, but the pic you just shared is really beautiful

 

[blobaugh]

There is a shop in Renton called Sierra Fish and Pets that I have taken other plants and fish to. The manager there can be stingy, and demands "example stock" first. They do have a lake specific tank. I will take them a "sample" soon. I have some overgrown plants to take them anyways, so worth a shot!

 

[blobaugh]

I may be in the market in January to buy some more for my classroom 40g tank as the fish in their will be coming home in 2 weeks and I like to restore the tank after break.

@lloyd378 don't buy! I am happy to support budding young people. Just let me know how many you want and they are yours.

 

[blobaugh]

With a week without incidents, I am feeling good about sharing my latest scheme…

I have at times been called the contrary aquarist, because I will do things that “common knowledge” says will not work. I have fallen in love with these shellies and long wanted to try them in the 150 gallon community tank in my living room. Everyone I talked to said it could not be done. They have to be species only. That never made sense to me, since they do not live in a species only lake in the wild.

Last week I cleared an area of gravel and filled it in with sand. Then snagged out 7 shellies and shells. They have integrated into the community tank quite well. They have been 100% peaceful. 4 of them are in the shells, the other 3 have taken to the plants.

The only trouble was the male kribensis. He originally scattered them, but since the 4 came back he has left them alone. Even the EB Acara and the 14” pleco leave them alone. The big pleco at worst has sat on and rolled a couple shells. The bushy nose plecos are cleaning the shells. The corys keeping thing tidy.

Do I think a colony will thrive and grow? That remains to be seen. I am going to put a few more in there. With numbers perhaps they will feel safe having babies. Maybe the dozen plecos will slurp up the babies at night. I do not know, but it has been an interesting and successful experiment so far, and now I get to enjoy them in the living room too.

 

[sir_keith]

No one who knows anything about N. multifasciatus would claim that they need to be kept in a species tank, as they can be easily kept with other appropriately chosen fishes from Lake Tanganyika. The problem in keeping them in a 'community' tank like the one you describe is that the different species have very different water requirements. Pelvicachromis and Andinoacara originate in riverine biotopes with soft, acidic water; Neolamprologus evolved in the hard, alkaline water of Lake Tanganyika. So no matter what water parameters you choose, someone is going to be very unhappy in your mixed 'community' tank, and that is only the first problem they will encounter.

Short–term survival is not the readout here; many fishes survive under conditions that are stressful and contrary to their biology. And with Multi's procreation is not the readout either, because if Multi's are alive, they are spawning. The kind of 'mix and match' experiment you describe has been done many times, and although you may consider the experiment to be a success in the (very) short term, it is ultimately the fishes who will suffer.

Finally, as a point of information, there are many cichlids that can only be kept as single specimens or in species tanks in captivity; the fact that these species live with other fishes in the wild, where space is not limiting, is irrelevant.

 

[blobaugh]

The water parameter is a fair point. I would note that that was taken into consideration. The Multi tank has the same water parameters as the community tank. After raising them for a couple years, and through generations of babies, I am confident that they will thrive in the water in the community tank. If I am wrong, we will unpleasantly find out soon.

 

[sir_keith]

...I am confident that they will thrive in the water in the community tank...

And what precisely are the water parameters in your tanks that allow both soft, acidic-water fishes and hard, alkaline-water fishes to 'thrive'? There is a common misconception in the hobby that you can 'adapt' fishes to an inappropriate water chemistry, but that is based more upon wishful thinking than objective criteria. Many cichlids can adapt to differing water chemistries because they evolved in fluctuating environments; the Great Rift Lakes in Africa are most definitely not such an environment.