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hey guys.as some of you know i got some multis(neolamprologus multifasciatus).
well the 10 gall tank i had them in has sprung a leak.
so i had to pull that down and i just ended up throwing it out,as its already been repaired once.
plus to add to this bad luck,both companys i emailed about some escargot snail shells,still havent got back to me
so now the multis are only in a 5 gallon tank,i also chucked in 2 small bn babies too.
i ended up tracking down some good shells at bunnings,then i got some more from my lfs.
all up theres 12 shells,it was instant recognition,as soon as the multis seen the shells,boom,they were in them rite away.
ive still only got the fine gravel,ive also taken out the new peace of driftwood,and repalced it with a small peace from my 89gall.
i think the new peace of driftwood mite have let some tannis in the water,thats why i swapped it out!
now the weird thing is the tank is only 5gal,but i cant seem to get the yellow colour out of the water.
my lfs is getting some new HOB filters on friday(2 more days),but the filter im using for it now,is rated for a 10 gal,but it only has a real small peace of media in it!could this be the reason why the water is yellow.
ive done a water change,and ive only been feeding them once a day(just some flakes or chrushed up african attack)
they still have been diggin like bulldozers,but i washed the gravel real good b4 it went in.
so im thinking with the new HOB,having more media in it,and i will have room for some carbon too,should clear up the water,unless you guys can think of something else.
the poor little fellas,they have been disrupted,since i brought them home.
i lot of good news is,i know for sure i atleast have 1 pair,they have taken 2 shells,and have been cleaning and digging,moved the shells around too,plus none of the other multis are allowed near there 2 shells!
the bigger 1(pretty sure hes the male)gaurds the outer perimeter,while the smaller 1(female)looks after the site and shells.
so basicly,i just wanted some ideas on why the water is yukkie yellow

It'll be tannins from the driftwood. Less water and no carbon could even lead to your smaller existing piece releasing more than you expected it to.

Don't worry about it too much, as everyone says, a stable pH is better than a fluctuating one, and tannic acid does drop the pH, however you have shells and (maybe?) a cichlid substrate, so you shouldn't find the pH drops too low to be tolerable.

Carbon can remove the yellow colour. If you have carbon and media bags, you can put the carbon into the bags and put the bags directly into the tank until your new HOB arrives. It isn't as efficient, but it should help.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

With my HOB in the 45lt Cardinal Tetra & CRS tank slowly cut a piece off the sponge every week until all the sponge filter was gone. As I cut a piece of I added filter floss, now it is full of filter floss I started noticing the floss was rising with the water as it came out of the filter.
Then I added a sponge on top of the floss this is held down by the grips on each side of the filter container
Also I have the prefilter sponge
All I can say now the water is clearer than before and it does not loose flow rate over the week.

I had to use carbon recently to remove some meds I put it under the top sponge for a week and not a problem as all the return water had to pass through the carbon.

This might not be to the rules of a HOB with sponges but it works perfectly for me and that is what counts.
Changing the floss I just take a litle piece out regualy and by doing this less chance of going through a mini cycle another advantage of using the floss.

I can post a photo if you want to see it.

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
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well yesterday i done small WC,and netted some floaties,i also took out this pathetic small black sponge that came with the internal filter,and i filled it up with the white filter wool.
i already had some white filter wool in the filter,but yesterday i filled it up with the filter wool.
within 1 day,i can already see a change,the yellow colour has faded.
so 2morro when i pick up the HOB filter,should i just keep running the small filter im using now for a few days,while running the HOB aswell,then take out the internal filter

I would run both filters until you do the next water change this will give the new filter to build up a good bacteria load.
I would also get some Seachem Stability and double dose for the first few days then as recommended this will also help the new filter.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

great thanx keith,im off to get the HOB now..

ok,ive got the HOB filter.
i ended up getting a elite,ive found them to be great.
so i got the HOB rated for a 10 gal,so that should take care of the filtration.it has a place for carbon too,and a 2 year warranty,ajustable flow rate,easy to setup,it also has a little red pop up thing to tell you when its full/dirty,its easy to pull down,all this for $25!
so now ive got the HOB on the 5 gal,im still running the smaller filter for a few more days,while the new filter builds up some bacteria!
i hasnt even been on the tank 2 days yet,and i can already see the water clearing up.
oh and keith i got some seachem stabilty too.
i thought id give it a go,my guy at my lfs store spoke very highly of it too.
so ive got some of that in the 5 gal too.
so all i have to do now,is make a new lid,as the HOB wont let the lid fit on the tank,so ill whip 1 up from a spare sheet of perspex.

Hoksee, youre a bugger.
Today i picked up a colony of Multis from work..

how many did you end up getting,what size tank?
these are 1 of the best cichlids i ever had.
as ive kept a slew of sa/ca badboys,i was looking for a cichlid that i hadnt kept yet,and as im strapped for room,the multis were a great option.
they just dont stop,every time i look into the tank,they are doing something.
weather its cleaning,bulldozing,moving there shells around,or chasing off intruders.
the pair that i have(pretty sure they have paired up) they never leave each other side,plus they do this cool shaking thing and a little circle dance,then the female scoots off into the shell!
plus dispite there small size,jeez they gaurd there shell/territory well.
its cracks me up when i see them flare there tiny gils out.its so cool to watch!
anyway im more than happy with these fellas.
what i like to do is upgrade them to a 30-55gal,a slew of shells,then have a big colony,id also like to try to mix some other shellies with them too.
like some punks or some other neolamprologus.
but that upgrade will be a while away yet.
mez,what convinced you to grab some multis?

They were captive bred, and cheap to me as i get them trade price...i got about 9 in a 2fter. This is the reason i always have empty tanks set up and cycled! Need to get more shells though, everything is lookin good, i just hope i dont get the tanganyikan bug again. I can see lakecichlid.com making an appearance.

Finally got some multis hey Mez?
You have the bug for everything else, why not make it for Lake Tangs again too? You know you wanna

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

One more..

Nice piccies Mez, makes me miss mine.
I'm going to have to find a small spot for a tank me thinks.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

mmm,i think the multi fever is spreading.
well done mez,my little fellas have the lovely colours just like yours.
i THINK the pair i have are close to a spawn.
just there behavour,and they are so much more better looking than the other multis,more colourfull.
so i hope to have some babies soon../:'

from watching these guys,i think a spawn is close,however i was wondering should i turn the temp up from 26 to 27 degrees.
i thought maybe they would like the warmer water,most of my sa/ca cichlids did.

I really dont think it is necessary to raise the temp for them. Mine bred with no encouragement from me. Just leave them to it. If you are seeing the female of the pair less than before it is likely she already has eggs/fry.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

mmm,ill have to have a peak in the tank.
the weird thing is,she wont let the male in there any more,when he trys to go in there,he gets shooed outreal fast

That sounds about normal. and promising! If she wont let him in then she is protecting something.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

mmm,i hope so!
i tryed to look in there,but cause the tank is under my 55gal,its so hard to peak in,as the shell they have choosen is facing the back of there tank.
so i cant see in there.
however i dont qute think they have eggs just yet.althought she does shoo him away,she leaves it ungaurded for a bit to long.i could be wrong,as ive never had these fellas.
but from keeping a slew of other cichlids,.when they have eggs,they dont leave them ungaurded for long.
ive decided to just use both filters,it cant hurt!
also from what ive been told and ive red,multis pretty much need shells to be truely happy.
but there is 1 multi in my tank,he is the smallest 1,and he has 3 shells to chose from,but he has dug out underneath the peace of driftwood.
just wondering if anyone knows why he prefers a cave to a shell.
everyone was rite about these fellas,they are so much fun to watch,they already know me now,when i neal down to the tank,they all come dashing up to see what grub i have for them today!
they are the smallest cichlids i ever had,but probly 1 of my favorates already.
i cant wait to get some more shellies,i think some punks are on the menu...