10g Multi Colony

[Eric R]

Here's my 10g mini-colony of Neolamprologus multifasciatus. I have two adult males that have staked out opposite sides of the tank. I added the rock in the middle to divide their territories, which seems to be working well so far. There are a few either females or juvenile males also sharing either side of the tank, and at least one fry in the group on the right (I had seen four at one point, but if there are still more than one, they aren't all out at the same time). If I ever have the space, I'd love to setup a large tank with 30-40 of these fish, they are so interesting to watch!

Edited February 20, 2021 by ererer

[OceanTruth]

That must be a fun tank! Multis are so cute and interesting. They’re definitely on my must have in the future list. Does their population ever get out of hand like livebearers?

[Eric R]

4 hours ago, OceanTruth said:

That must be a fun tank! Multis are so cute and interesting. They’re definitely on my must have in the future list. Does their population ever get out of hand like livebearers?

Being one of the cichlids known for good parenting, they do reproduce relatively easily in home aquaria, given the right conditions. However, in my experience they don't reproduce nearly as quickly as livebearers. I actually may tweak their tank conditions too encourage more spawning, as I've only seen it occur once since getting the colony 6-7 months ago. They can eventually outgrow their tank space, especially if you don't give them extra room to start with. I have brought some of the colony to the LFS in the past, and they've been nice enough to give me store credit for them, which is always a convenient arrangement when raising fish that breed easily.

Edited February 20, 2021 by ererer