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well peoples,so far keeping these little multis has been a real treat.
so they have been in the 10 gall for like a week,and they didnt muck around,ive found even more fry.so ive got the 5 grown multis i started with,then the 7 from the 1st spawn,(doing great,and going strong)and now the fry ive found today.im not sure how many new fry there are,but i can see them wriggling around in the bottom of the shell when i shine the torch in there!.so buy my count thats 12 so far,NOT including the new batch.how many will be ok to keep in a 10 gal?b4 i should start taking any new babies to the shop!
i could get them a bigger tank,but this would not be untill the new year,when we move!
at the rate there going,the tank will be full way b4 then..
or the other option,ive got the 5 gal,that they WERE in,i could put some babies in that for a short while to grow them big enuff to take up the fish shop.
they have room now,in the 10gal,but if they are going to keep being so prolific with the spawning,then room is guna be a issue real soon.
how big can a colony of these fellas get?
i got told depending on weather they have room,the colony can just keep on getting bigger,into the few hunderds even!
is this true?

Ill prolly get stoned for saying it but whatever.

If you keep up with steady maintence on water changes and have good filtering and plenty of shells. Can prolly handle as many as 50 or so. this includes fry ect and I wouldnt push to much higher then that.

mmm,that does sound like alot.but if they are all getting along,i spoze its ok..
how are your multis going sin,what size tank were your guys in again?
how many do you have?

Ill prolly get stoned for saying it but whatever.

If you keep up with steady maintence on water changes and have good filtering and plenty of shells. Can prolly handle as many as 50 or so. this includes fry ect and I wouldnt push to much higher then that.

*Throws many a-stone*
There must be at least 70 fish in my 2ft tank now. 9 adults, the rest are fry. I reckon in another month the first batch of fry will be ready to harvest.
Hokese, honestly as long as your filtration is up to it, i dont see any problems. They wont be eaten, or attacked, just make sure your nitrates and ammonia are not creeping up. The babies will tend to leave the shells/protective area after about 3 months or so, this is when you can start harvesting them for your LFS (when they resemble small shell dwellers).
A bigger tank would be better though, of course

i have 9 multies and 4 julies in a 30 gallon breeder tank. about 100+ escargot shells with rocks along the backwall for the julies. not much reproduction as ive had issues with it since day one. changing everything i can think of in attempt to trigger something with no results. I believe i have a rougue male eating all fry and will have to pay close attention to figure out which one it is. other then that very healthy tank.

ok ill just let them do there thing then.
my filtration and wcs on this tank are great.
the fry are so cool to watch just checken out there new home.its so much of a change for me,to see new fry being left alone to do there own thing.normally the fish i keep,fry are in constant threat of being eaten.
this is what i love about the multis,all the other tank mates chip in,and dont eat them.
but i think i should grab some more shells then,just so the little fellas can have some shells too.
also from watching them,i think its one male thats been switching from female to female.
atm the moment i think hes currently corting his 3rd female,as the 1st female,still want quite let him back into the shells yet,and the 2nd female is still gaurding her fry with a vengence.
well so far ive got around 35 shells,in the tank,what i done when i moved them,i keep the shell piles together,but moved them apart,i tryed to put them the same way they were in the old tank.i must say it worked!cause when i put the multis in,they new exactly witch shells were theres,and witch ones had just been put in.
they pretty much picked up where they left off.
then boom i found the batch of fry.
i also put the drift wood back in aswell,the 2 bns in there and 1 multi seems to love it.1 multi lives underneath the drift wood,actully a cool little cave hes dug himself.
i was thinking about putting a cutting from my large anubais plant,onto the driftwood.
just so theres a live plant in there,will this be ok,like i mean will the multis shred it?

nah multies dont notice plants really. it should be fine. will actually be good for fry. grows tiny stuff on it that the fry can snack on.

I tried Vallis in mine, failing miserably! The tank was a SW tank though, and i never thoroughly cleaned the sand so it may hold a slight salt content, fine for the fish, though!
Males will often 'service' a few females. At the minute the lead male in my pack is stealing all the fry and raising them himself. *sigh*

oh cool,ill get a cliping in there to for them.
yeah i sort of new it was good for the fry.in my 89gal,i have a ba pair,and mum sometimes gathers them in her mouth and spits them into the complex root system.
you can see the babies nibbling on whateva is growing on there..
well im pretty sure hes is servicing the 3rd female as i type this.they have both been doing a little dance/turning routine,all morning,cleaning,shooing tankmates,in and out the shell.
im no multi expert,but i now know what to look for, im %99 sure,ill have more wrigglers real soon!
im pretty sure this is the last female,even if theres another female,she will still be to small.
will the 1st female he let him come back for round 2?.
these little fellas are prolific spawners when they get going,dont yous think?

well just as i thought,im %100 sure there is more eggs,now the 3rd female that the male serviced,is gaurding her shell/eggs and wont let the male back in.
so thats now 3 females he has serviced,hes been a very busy boy.
also how come mum dosent let dad into the shell once eggs have been put down.i thought she would let him in,as they dont eat there babies.
i cant wait to see this tank in a few months,there will be multis everywhere....lol/:'