Tanks.
11 | 38 | 54 Litros | 60 | 260

- Dimensions: 60*29*31cm
- air pumb filter
- Heater: 50w
- Serial Lights
- Gravel: Coralline
- Water parameters: Gh 29, Kh 7, Ph 8.1, 26º.
- Plants: Anubias, Microsoriums.
- Fishes: 2 Neolamprologus Brevis, 3 Lamprologus Multifasciatus

I must confess, I'm a dwarf cichlids addict as these particular cichlids are the best of the best. If I happen to find and read a book where they appear I feel the need to look in the nearby shops hoping to find them. A particular kind of dwarf cichlids have caught my attention : the Africans. To be more precise the ones called dwelers shells. I had only seen them before in books but never had the pleasure to see or keep a real one. They are not easy to find in shops. Could it be because the existence of some kind of problem or difficulty with its breeding??? Why such poor availability in shops???... I don’t really know. My personal aim are the species: multifasciatus, ocellatus and alike, as they are the little ones.

I first saw some Lamprologus Multifasciatus in a shop in December. Right away I begged the shopkeeper to reserve me a small lot and quickly ran home to begin the set up of a 54 litres tank. I placed 3kg of coralline gravel, like a friend told me, proving to be a perfect aid to keep a good pH value for these particular species of fish. Thanks Leleupy, this trick works! and the Gh dos not rise at all. I also introduced some anubias and microsoriums, all tied on Menorcas rocks. Last but not least, the temperature was set at 26ºC.

When all water parameters were ok, I happily went back to the shop with the intention of obtaining my own multifasciatus but ooo... surprise! There was only one left from the original lot and no others had been put aside for me. “Not to worry! “Told me the shopkeeper, “they will come in the next shipment”…ok I will have to wait a little more, nevertheless I brought ok home the remaining one. On my way back home I went by another shop and amazingly they had dwelers shells!!! Neolamprologus Brevis, not exactly what I had in mind but even so I decided take a couple, as they too do not grow much. I placed them all in the tank, introducing some snail shells too.

ok!!! I finally have my own dwelers shells.

Once in the tank, the Brevis made the right side tank, where most of the snail shells were, of their own. The multifasciatus began to make a hole under a pair of rocks in the left side, taking pebbles one at a time, with its mouth, to the front of tank. Later, I put some more snail shells on that side.

In a short period of time, the brevis looked like to be in the right mood to mate. The female, with strong colours, tried time and again to bring the male to a group of snail shells that had been previously set like a horseshoe by her.

From that moment on, I often saw them go in the same shell together. But unfortunately I have so far not achieved positive results.

I truly hope one day soon the sight of a swimming fry around a shell will surprise me.

On my return to the shop I managed to buy some multifasciatus. Before introducing them in the tank I decided to make some decoration changes. Like so, I placed a rock such that the tank was split in two parts.
I ended up with three multifasciatus in the same tank, increasing my opportunities of obtaining a breeding pair as the show minimum sexual differences.

After introducing these two fish I observed that the older one made, straight away, the central part of the left half of the tank his, also making a big hole and placing shell in it, such making a big wall in the front glass.

the hole

The second one makes his the central part of the tank, and begins to remove gravel form under the stones. And the 3rd got lost in the middle of the plants and sometimes swims through both turfs. Could it be a male?????

Something amazing I observed in the behaviour of the multifasciatus is the existence of some type of cooperation to defend their turfs. They will occasionally have what you could call internal fights, but if one of the brevis goes to their side of the, entering either of their turfs, they quickly join forces to expel the invasor, stay still two of them while the 3rd swims forward and backwards in a threatenly way.

I think I need to make some changes in the tank...

 

And the changes arrived... By necessity of a high aquarium but to make a treatment to another fish it transfers to all multifasciatus to a tortuguera of 54 liters. To brevis, in view of the samples to want to reproduce decidi to put them in a aquarium of 11 liters, being hoped to see that so they took. The aquarium completes it with conches, snails planorbis, some anubias and a trunk. Fix the temperature to 27º and as it were making water changes every 5 days and fed enough I did not put filter. To brevis not them taste much the change. They were but easily frightened, whenever it approached they to me escondian in some conch or detras of the trunk. The case is that the week and agreeing with the visit of a friend, we observed a strange behavior in the female. It attacked giving small taps to us with the head in the crystal, that attitude us sorprendio. So that to the following day it dedicates to me to obsevar with attention the conch and its environs llevandome a surprise... I could just see alevin in the entrance of the conch. The female quickly saw it, cojio and with the mouth and metio in house. He was 4 of February.

It as good protective mother Always was vijilando the conch until after about 10 days empezo to urge the male again... I supposed that the female habia eaten alevines to the being priemra put that towards.

07 de febrero de 2004

I decide to put to the female and the male in the aquarium of 54 liters with multifasciatus to see if it calms and in the aquarium of 11 liters I introduce a young male beta. And as serious my surprise when one week later from those changes I see alevin in the aquarium of 11 liters... Quickly change the beta of aquarium and I begin a search of alevines locating 4. I hope that there are some more...

22 de febrero de 2004

22 de febrero de 2004

22 de febrero de 2004

Then if... We already go by 7. When introducing the nauplios of artemia they have begun to leave all parts. I have been able to count 7 but I do not discard that it appears some more.

25 de febrero de 2004

25 de febrero de 2004

25 de febrero de 2004

Meanwhile, in the aquarium of 54 liters where they the 7 Lamprologus Multifasciatus and the pair of brevis they produce great changes...

Brevis take 1/4 part of the aquarium in the right side has remained with one. Multifasciatus the central part and the zone of rocks have taken control of. And returned the works to the aquarium...

This behaivor was observed previously in the other aquarium and was strange to me that they did not initiate his changes in the aquarium. they done some movement of gravel but very slight and single to mark borders among them, to be to arrive the Brevis and to begin the thickness of works.

With their customary perseverance, these fish have begun to raise a small wall in the front crystal, this time but under which the previous one and also has begun to limit the land of brevis raising a gravel wall in the border. And they do not have problems in burying some shell or stone totally. In the photo of the right we can appreciate the unevenness created by them.

Lamprologus Meltifasciatus

Each Multifasciatus is guard of a piece of the aquarium but the territory of the species in general defends it jointly. I have seen as three of them in row and they planted face when I watching to them close by.... Also I have been able to see as the females tried to attract some male towards shells...

Lamprologus Multifasciatus

Lamprologus Multifasciatus