# Neolamprologus Multifasciatus tank setup



## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

im putting together a tank for multies. Im thinking im gonna go with a 20L, but they will be in a 10g for about a month(its the only thing i have setup/cycled). First time doing shellies(i have to try them, looks like alot of fun). Im getting the fish sometime in the next two weeks from a local breeder. A coulple of questions...

do you guys paint the sides of the tank too? *** heard of some people painting the sides of shellie tanks to keep them feeling more secure. Anyone see any difference?

Also, i have a ton of crushed coral substrate left over from another venture. the size isnt that big, but compared to playsand/pfs or actual sand, its much larger. I know these guys move stuff around that is much larger that thought possible for a small fish, could this work?

more that likely, i will probably not paint the sides of the tank, but wanted to see what others were doing. *** seen vids on youtube that show painted sides, i like the way it kinda frames in the view.


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## Voodoo Chilli (Jun 29, 2004)

I don't really think the sides will make much difference unless the tank is in a really high traffic area that constantly disturbs the fish. With shellies, I paint the back and the bottom of the tank, as their digging exposes the bottom and causes glare that can stress the fish. Of course, if *you *like painted sides, then go for it. (The fish won't mind.)

I'm not a big fan of the crushed coral with shellies. You _can_ use it, but IMO, sand is a much better choice.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Another vote for sand and no paint on the sides.


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

looks like im gonna be doing a 29g. I know the height doesnt really matter with multies, but i always like bigger tanks. I can probably start with more mulites now.


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## mitchy (Jun 25, 2007)

I had a 38gal with 28 adults in it,i used playsand i find they really can move it around and in no time make ur tank look pretty cool with all kinds of sand dunes,u can keep quite a few together i never had any problems just provide different shell pits around bottom with maybe a lil rock seperating them,mine bred regulary,and y paint the tank whe u can just tape a old backround to the sides,or buy a piece of black bristle board from doller store and cut it to size and tape it up,works just as good and saves u from scraping paint off sides in future if u dont like it!


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## Voodoo Chilli (Jun 29, 2004)

Yep, you could start with lots more multies in the 29g.

Keep in mind the fact that you'll want to add ALL the multies you plan to keep _at the same time_ because additional fish bought later on *will* be considered outsiders and dealt with. Harshly.


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

Sounds good, i will probably start with 6 and let them multiply :thumb:


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

Ok, now its gonna be a 20 (24x12"). Its free, so how can i argue. I get my Multies in a week. Like before, im gonna put them in a 10g for a week until my 20 is fully cycled. I plan on using black taihitian(spelling?) moon sand, black paint background, some limestone slabs, and lots of shells. I just want a clean look to enjoy these guys. I may or may not mix alittle crushed coral with the sand, dont know yet. I will post pics when setup.

more questions, any suggestions on non-cichlid tankmates? I did want to buy some transcriptus, but it wont work in this size, so im looking at non-cichlids.


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## EmagdniM (Nov 29, 2007)

Why dont you just put the filters from the 10 gal onto the new 20? Or are there other fish in the 10 now?

For the sand you should look for 3m Color Quartz. Its cheaper than the Tahitian Moon stuff and looks just as nice. I wouldnt mix the coral in with the sand...you can put some in a stocking and put in in the filter to get the same effect...but Im sure if you did it, it would still look pretty nice.

Lookin forward to seeing some pics!


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## EmagdniM (Nov 29, 2007)

Double Post


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## Voodoo Chilli (Jun 29, 2004)

I wouldn't mix the coral with the sand, either. IME, they'll be annoyed by the bits and remove them to the communal trash heap-- an area of the tank for bits of refuse to be moved to. My multi tank's front left corner was always piled up with bits of coral, rock, and MTS that weren't appreciated by the tenants.

This may sound odd, but do you know what my favorite multi dither fish is? White cloud minnows.


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## BrownBullhead (May 15, 2005)

I just setup a 20-gallon high (24" Ã- 12" footprint) with 30 N. Multifasciatus from 0.5" to 1.25" (but mostly the smaller sizes). I covered the entire bottom with 120+ escargot shells, except a large Texas Holey Rock dividing the substrate into two zones. Today was Day #1, we'll see how tomorrow goes.

Voodoo Chilli: I had wondered about the dither idea, but I am going to watch mine to see if they really need dithers. What has been your experience with this situation?


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

lets see some pics, i want more ideas


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## Voodoo Chilli (Jun 29, 2004)

BB-

I went years without dithers, until the wife complained about the tank being "boring". (Yeah I know, she's a barbarian when it comes to fish.) So in order to have a bit of movement in the upper and middle areas, I added a group of white cloud minnows to the tank. The clouds swam throughout the tank and were never intimidated by the multies. The multies were interested in the clouds but never seemed to care they were in there and they did seem to "perk up" and were a little more active than before, when they had the tank to themselves.

So to answer your question: no I don't think they need dithers, but I did notice a bit more activity when they were added, not to mention the fact that I got to fill the other layers of the tank with one of my personal favorites. Since then, I've heard of others using rasboras, tetras, danios, etc. with similar results.


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## chapman76 (Jun 30, 2004)

I guess I can agree with what Voodoo said about dithers. I had my multie group in a 20g long for awhile by themselves and they were always out, now they're in a 55g w/ some new guinea rainbows and they're all over the tank. A few "brave" ones have set up shop near my A. calvus. I'm shocked they're still there a few months later.


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## BrownBullhead (May 15, 2005)

I recently built a 2 Ã- 20 gallon rack. My N. Multifaciatus were on one shelf, other shelf was empty. I bought another 20 gallon yesterday (Tuesday) and painted black paint on background, sides and bottom.

In the wee hours of this morning, I moved the multi colony into the new setup. As I watch their behvaiour, it is my opinion that the painted glass panes have made them feel more secure. There are no dithers in my setup, only two Ancistrus sp. Albino juveniles.

For what it's worth, I drained the original 20 and I am now painting that setup black as well.


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## Mr Dinks (Sep 23, 2008)

what paint do you use?


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## Voodoo Chilli (Jun 29, 2004)

I've always used flat black spray paint. It's cheap, works great, and is pretty easy to scrape off with a razor blade if that's ever needed.


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

got another question, thought i'd post it here even though i got the idea for the ? off another post. i just got my 20 multi tank set up. I used "seeded" filter pads, rocks, yellow lab fry, and a big piece of drift wood for the cycling for a week.

this piece of drift wood was in an old tank for about five years, was left out for about 2yrs, and then again re-introduced into another for another 3yrs. Is it safe to say that its tannin free, or at least enough to leave in my multi tank for good? I really like the way it looks and has been with me for a long time.

joe


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## BrownBullhead (May 15, 2005)

*Mr Dinks*: I used Latex Semi-Gloss black on mine.


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## BrownBullhead (May 15, 2005)

I thought I would add some images to this thread of my "new" N. Multifasciatus setup. If the original poster objects, please say so in order to have the moderators remove my post.

Check out the pictures by clicking on the below thumbnails. Please ensure your pop-up blocker allows PhotoBucket images via new browser window. Thank you for looking!


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

no prob, but i would like anyone to chime in on my driftwood question


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## EmagdniM (Nov 29, 2007)

I think your driftwood would be fine.


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

I went to my LFS to check out some possible tankmates for the upper column. I ran across the usual neon tetras and such, but also found some "emperor tetras" that looked really good. The colors of the males were very impressive. Anyone here ever try these?


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## BrownBullhead (May 15, 2005)

*Sulfurhead*: The 28 or 29 count of Neolamprologus in mine are spread out across the water column enough whenever the lights are on; I don't think I need any dithers.  Those tetras are indeed attractive to look at, but I don't know how well they would fair in hard water, particularly for someone like me who adds additional buffer to hard tap water.


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

*** finally got some pics, they arent the best, but i said i would post.....

this is my first attempt at a tang/shellie tank, always done malawi and fronts. i browsed over here in this subforum and saw some pics of multies and had to have them. I have a trio(what looks to be 2m/1f) of transcriptus in with them until Xmas where the pair will have their own 20 beneath this one. they dont harm the other julie, but they do keep him away from their cave.


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## EmagdniM (Nov 29, 2007)

Looks nice man, I highly suggest getting a lot more shells though. Go to www.cichlidbreeding.com and get about 40 of the Whale eye shells...you wont be disappointed.


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## Sulfurhead (Jul 18, 2005)

Will do, i was planning on it. I currently have 2/fish and i hope to litter the ground with tons more.


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