Breeding Shell dweller Cichlids..

D

dilhcic

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Nov 27, 2006
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Hey..Im considering setting up a 20 gallon long for Neolamprologus multifasciatus..with the intention of breeding them..can anyone share there experiences in breeding these fish? What is a good starting male to female ratio? Are they difficult or pretty easy?..assuming good conditions are maintained.
Also I know they are very small about 1.6inches..so in a 20 long how many fish could live peacefully in a colony..in other words how many fish could i keep in the tank before it was overstocked? I plan for it to be a species tank :-)
thanks alot!
 
Breeding is very, very, very simple. About one month after I introduced mine to the tank I noticed little fry buzzing around the shell pit. I did absolutely nothing lol. I started with a 1:2 male to female ratio. Already though one of the original fry is being bullied by my dominant male. So it really depends on when you should remove fish. They naturally form colonies but space is an issue and there are obviously restrictions other than the space of the tank. You should be able to fit about 8-12 in there before I would call it "overcrowded" seeing as they only occupy the bottom half of the tank. I would remove fish as you see fit. As for general care they are not very picky when it comes to conditions, obviously they prefer harder, clean water. They are pigs though and will attempt to eat anything that falls into the tank.
 
jpappy789 said:
Breeding is very, very, very simple. About one month after I introduced mine to the tank I noticed little fry buzzing around the shell pit. I did absolutely nothing lol. I started with a 1:2 male to female ratio. Already though one of the original fry is being bullied by my dominant male. So it really depends on when you should remove fish. They naturally form colonies but space is an issue and there are obviously restrictions other than the space of the tank. You should be able to fit about 8-12 in there before I would call it "overcrowded" seeing as they only occupy the bottom half of the tank. I would remove fish as you see fit. As for general care they are not very picky when it comes to conditions, obviously they prefer harder, clean water. They are pigs though and will attempt to eat anything that falls into the tank.
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Well put. I have mine in a 20L. I started with 7 unsexed juvies in December. I have 50 shells in the tank. I'm not really sure when they started breeding because the fry don't come out of the shell right away. I do believe it was probably 2-3 months after putting them in the tank. One of the juvies that I got was bullied and eventually killed. I now have several fry and some of the older ones are being bullied a bit, but the rest (several spawns) are all getting along fine. I think, as Pappy said, you really have to remove them as you see fit. I think the more shells you have piled up really determines how many fish you can keep before it's really over stocked.
 
Ditto the above info. I bought 6 unsexed juvies, and I had two colonies form from them. Great fish - mine harassed anything else in the tank - I have to remove dither fish and a bulldog pleco...they attacked things in waves.

Great fish...I really miss them.

Eric
 
yep i concur with jpappy and he was reading my mind when he stated that the more shells is the answer to the multi regimen, my 55gal is funny i have a multi colony on one side and on the other side i have a colony of brevis but i have shells out the wazoo so not to many squabbles, i have a 10gal tank with about 20 to 30 fry to juvies and some mustax fry but with all of the shells seldom any problems..
 
i wish i had gotten started on these guys earlier! they're incredibly fun to watch.

i don't regret starting with mbuna, color-wise. at least i can see them from across the room, and it makes for a great show tank in my dining room.

but for just plopping down in a chair and watching fireworks, these tiny little feisties are unbeatable!

i have six, with about 18 shells, in a regular 20. it's a little cramped for them i think. how do i sex them? venting a 1" beastie is probably not going to happen. behaviour or coloration clues?

ps. the dither fish made a big difference, plus, again, i can see at least something happening from across the room :)
 
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