# I want Shellies



## Ajax511 (Jul 4, 2007)

Hey guys, im thinking of getting shellies because my 20gal tank is getting to small for my africans. I was wondering if you guys could help me i have a few questions, Thank you.

Im looking in to getting multies. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1749

- How many multies can i keep in a 20galH tank?
- Do shellies hide all the time?
-Where do i get the shells for the tank?
-Will the fish eventually grow out a 20gal tank?
-What should i do with my fish that are in the tank now?
Thank you guys


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## drewslootdc (May 15, 2006)

I'd start with 1 male 3 females
No they do not hide all the time...in fact they rarely hide
You can get shells here
http://www.cichlidbreeding.com/products.php?cat=10
They will not out grow a 20 however they will breed and fill the tank so you may need to bring some to your LFS on occasion
Bring your fish back to a LFS
good luck :thumb:


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## Ajax511 (Jul 4, 2007)

drewslootdc said:


> I'd start with 1 male 3 females
> No they do not hide all the time...in fact they rarely hide
> You can get shells here
> http://www.cichlidbreeding.com/products.php?cat=10
> ...


Thank you so much!


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## jhulbert (Aug 7, 2005)

While we should all support our local fish stores, Multies breed like rabbits. Check with your local fish clubs, someone should have a few multies they would happily give away to get you going.

That is how I started my multi colony and I have started more than a few others the same way.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

lol I don't even know what to do with all my multies... I may see if they can tough it out in my 75 with all of my ornatipinnis.


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## Xenomorph (Aug 6, 2007)

One pair is enough, they are colony breeders anyway... offspring will take care of new offspring and so on, but you'll have only one dominant pair breeding.

Get yourself an adult pair from someone and enjoy. 6 months time you'll have lots of wrigglers.


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## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

Darkside said:


> lol I don't even know what to do with all my multies... I may see if they can tough it out in my 75 with all of my ornatipinnis.


you can donate them to me :lol: :lol: :lol: 
too bad i dont have space anymore..

it is true that in a colony, the dominant male and female will spawn the most.
out of my wild trio, my dominant female spawned 8-10times.
my sub-female spawned 2times.

but that can be solved with another male or 2.


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## Miles43 (Jan 28, 2005)

Ajax511 said:


> -What should i do with my fish that are in the tank now?
> Thank you guys


What type of fish are they? DO you have any other tanks?


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Xenomorph said:


> One pair is enough, they are colony breeders anyway... offspring will take care of new offspring and so on, but you'll have only one dominant pair breeding...


Huh, that's not my experience at all. These are not "pairing fish" and I feel it's better to start out with a few extra in case of a divorce or an accident. I started my first colony with 5, ended up being 2 females and 3 males. All three of the males helped guard the colony, and both females bred regularly. Subsequent colonies typically have 2-3 batches of newly hatched fry at any given time. So, a pair can quickly fill up a tank, but starting with a couple more fish is a safer bet.


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## Xenomorph (Aug 6, 2007)

triscuit said:


> Xenomorph said:
> 
> 
> > One pair is enough, they are colony breeders anyway... offspring will take care of new offspring and so on, but you'll have only one dominant pair breeding...
> ...


I'd really much appreciate if you would read the post properly and when you quote me, do it entirely, not to suit your point.



Xenomorph said:


> One pair is enough, they are colony breeders anyway... offspring will take care of new offspring and so on, but you'll have only one dominant pair breeding.
> 
> *Get yourself an adult pair from someone and enjoy. 6 months time you'll have lots of wrigglers*.


I said all you need is one pair, one established pair and problem solved. What you said works with juvies, my advice is get an adult pair, they are 20$/each anyway. Juvies maturing can be trouble makers as well, I have adult males killing each other ...so, especially for inexperienced keepers, one pair, adult pair is more than enough for a 20 gal. They will fill up the setup pretty fast. Plus, more females in such a small setup would not go very well together ...dominance isuue.


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## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

there was no dominance issue with my multies in a 2footer..
just in the 5G

but having more is a safer bet.
sometimes fish go whack and they kill fish.
happens all the time. and anyways, im not going to let the fry grow up to be in the colony, maybe just 2 or 3, but not all. that would cause alot of problems.
in breeding causes alot of deformed fry.

local breeders sell multies for like 5-10$ and anywhere from 50-100$ for a colony, depending on how large the colony is.

plus, he is in the states, it is easier to get shellies and other cichlids. just order em.
canada IMO is harder. though i can get a hold of importers and have them import the fish i want.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

^ this simply isn't true, the GTA is one of the best places to get cichlids of any sort. The only things tough to get a hold of are the "undesirables", but this is always the case because nobody wants them anyway (well sometimes I think I do...).


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## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

that is only if you dont know where to look :wink: 
i know what you want  and *** never seen em in stores.

im not sure how hard it is to find it in vancouver though

GTA is a big area..


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## ME_AND_GREENTERROR (Jan 21, 2008)

You could give me a pair of multie! i need them except i dont want them to be old.. may be too much to ask for..


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## yellowtails101 (Jan 7, 2008)

*Multies*U seem to no alot about multies so when i go to get my fish is there any way to tell male from female. Also do u Brevis or occies or no someone who does? :-?

Thanks Again  
Hunter KLine#17


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## pcrawford1044 (Apr 19, 2008)




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