Neolamprologus multifasciatus

I'm setting up a tank for them right now, I can help a little.

http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aquariums/fish-breeding/dwarf-banded-shellie.aspx

www.tfhreshwater/feature-articles/the-best-dwarf-cichlid-for-the-beginner-full-article.htm

Two informative articles.

The water will be too hard for Neons I think. You will need to find fish that can handle 8+ pH and 15 hardness.

I'd start with six in a 20 gallon, and I've read about Java Ferns surviving, as long as the fish don't dig them up. On a rock or wood should be fine. Not sure about moss.

Otherwise, around 80 degrees if I remember right, and you'll be fine. It sounds that they aren't picky eaters.

Here's my build thread if you are interested. It's in limbo for a month yet, I'm going on a trip.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=468513&highlight=

Good luck!

1. Multies are baby factories.

2. Multies need very hard, very alkaline water. Keeping with with Neos (or Cory cats for that matter) which need soft, acidic water is borderline cruelty in my opinion.

3. Start with 2 pair in a 20 long minimum. I had 6 individuals in a 50 breeder that turned into ~70 individuals in 13 months. At that point, they started eating fry.

4. Dump 4 inches of soft sand in your tank. Add as many escargot shells as will fit. Add your multies. Done, except for the insane digging they will do. They will kill every plant you put in the tank. They will bury and kill java moss. Imagine mounds of sand 8 inches high ...

5. Once they are established, they are impossible to net. They will go deep into the shell and lodge themselves using their fins. The only way to remove them is to remove the shell, so you never know which one you're removing.

Having said all that, they are extremely rewarding to keep. Seeing the .75-inch mother parading around with 6 or 8 pinhead size fry is an every day event, and the fry don't need any special feeding — they will eat the "mulm" inside the mother's brood shell and pick through any algae that grows on the top.


Ignore the commentary. I was showing my multies to a friends daughters, who are budding aquarists

Regarding the pH of the water, everything I've ever seen about multis says pH is ideal 7.5 - 9.0

With corys they are recommended for water with a pH of 6.0 - 7.6...

So they can be kept together in the 7.5 -7.6 range without being cruel. It really depends on the water the multis were raised in and how you acclimate them.

The source of my info:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-sterbai/
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/neolamprologus-multifasciatus/

I think the aquaclear would be fine, I'd say an aquaclear 50 would most likely be best, or two aquaclear 30s.

Neons may be a bit to fragile to put in with them, I'd look into a little hardier tetra depending on the water conditions you have available

1: could I keep a school of neons with them? I might consider something a bit more similar in water requirements. Maybe look into a Psuedomugil or even something else from the lake itself, try searching for Tanganyika Lampeye
2: how many would you recommend to start a colony in a twenty gallon long tank? a trio (1M/2F), though younger fish are notoriously hard to sex. 3-6 fish should get you at least one pair and you'll soon have a never ending supply after that.
3: I have an aquaclear filter that (hob) is that fine? It's what we run on our tank, you'll be fine
4: what temperature is recommended? Thermometer is adjustable so no problems there... Lake Tanganyika is warm, I'd say 80 or a bit higher will be fine
5: can I keep my java fern and moss with them? I have had the best results with Anubias, nothing else has ever done well in their tank and I've tried a lot
6: what is the recommended food I'm feeding flake Foods now. Flake or NLS is fine for them, the fry can take crushed flake so its usually the best choice
Good Luck!