I have a pair of Multies. when i put them in my tank they both found shells that they liked and took them over. as time went on my spare shells openings got covered by sand, yesterday i opened the holes up and one of my multies now lives in 2 shells. i understood before i got my multies that they lived in a shell and that was the only place they wanted to be. has anyone else experienced this?
the way I was described multi's before I got mine was "mini bulldozers" and I must agree. I have 13 "almost-adults" in a 20 long and they constantly move sand around, covering and uncovering shells. they will dig the sand out around the shell and make it fall or roll to their liking. Once it's positioned they will call it home and use it to spawn in once they are mature. by Pair I assume you mean male and female correct? Multi's will normally have separate shells whereas some other species like brevis will share a shell. Are the fish out and actively swimming around or are they constantly hiding? mine are out moving around most the time, some just checking out the area, others vigorously moving sand. if they are constantly hiding, there is probably something scaring them. are they the only fish in the tank or are there others? how big of a tank and how'd you set it up? Kyle
I have some multi's in a 10g and they completely changed the gravel to what originally had. They even dugout the gravel under a big piece of limestone causing it to tip over. If thats how they want, so be it. Mine recently spawned as well, I see all these little blue eyes and tails swimming in and out of a shell pile in the front.
i bought two intending to have a male and a female. after having them for a week i am sad to say that i think that i have two males. the petstore was not helpful at all in helping determine the sexes. they are curently in my 5 gallon with a rubber lipped pleco and a snail. this weekend the pleco is going to be moved to my 20 long at home and the following week the multies will be moved into the bigger tank as well.
Mine do not seem to dig at all...they have 2 inches of sand, but i think that because the shell openings are available to them they dont want to dig.
I tried to position my shells like I saw others positioned in photos on the net. Some of mine like them like they are, others move sand a lot and don't seem to accomplish much. my river rock is almost covered in sand on one side of the divider. I think some of the smaller multi's have chosen to live in the cracks between the rocks instead of the shells which is fine with me. Kyle
Originally posted by belmont0182 i bought two intending to have a male and a female. after having them for a week i am sad to say that i think that i have two males. the petstore was not helpful at all in helping determine the sexes. they are curently in my 5 gallon with a rubber lipped pleco and a snail. this weekend the pleco is going to be moved to my 20 long at home and the following week the multies will be moved into the bigger tank as well.
Mine do not seem to dig at all...they have 2 inches of sand, but i think that because the shell openings are available to them they dont want to dig.
You only had them a week? I would give them more of a chance. I find its hard to sex them. The only way I know the difference, is that the females are much smaller than the males. I had mine for a long time before they spawned (I got them as juveniles.) Patience is the key.
i didnt really want to buy my fish on the internet so when the lfs didnt have them i called it quits. but since i might be getting a tank(s) soon I will try getting them through those links
thanx
on aquabid.com, you might be able to find some locally. That or see if you can find someone near you that is breeding them. there are lots of cichlid clubs around the country and they regularly have auctions and such where you can pick up good buys. Kyle
If thats how they want, so be it. Mine recently spawned as well, I see all these little blue eyes and tails swimming in and out of a shell pile in the front.