FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I just got my Multis in yesterday and they were all down in their shell piles. Today only a couple females are down in the shells and the 2 males and more females are up at the tops of the tank swimming around. They all appear to be healthy though. I thought multis were bottom dwellers? Should I be worried?

just give them a week. they might still be figuring out territorys. ether that or the top two are males.

If it is a newer tank, or if the stock list just went up, double check your nitrites. Sometimes only one or two fish will react at first and hang out at the top where there is more o2.

Are you certain there are only two males?
I kept multis a few years back and the males did not hang around the shells much at all except when fending off other males from their shells and females.

They dont appear to be gasping for air or pumping their gills quickly or anything?

---

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

If they're just swimming about in the middle-ish of the tank rather than, say, gasping at the top, it's perfectly normal. Once they start spawning they'll stay, on average, lower, but they always use a good range of movement.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

No, they aren't gasping, they are just swimming around. The 2 males go up there and chase each other around for a bit and then they proceed on just swimming around. Then a few females will go up there and just swim around too. The tank is well established so it's not a spike. I have another question. How territorial are the females to each other? My females sometimes flare at each other but it's very brief. The males will sometimes chase the females around too. Is this normal? Will it subside once they are in there for a while? I know that I have 2 males and 5 females for sure. The woman I got them from is very reputable and has even bread these particular fish before, they are F1's. I have 27 escargot shells for them arranged in 2 seperate piles on seperate sides of the tank. What's going on? I thought they were supposed to be peaceful fish?

Males with fight over territories, while females will fight over shells. If you have your shells right next to each other, the females in them may fight. I have rarely seen multis fight till they have damaged each other.

If you definitely have two males, it is a good thing to have two groups of shells, for each to have a territory. But I would not have them piled together, but spread out in the territory at least a couple few inches apart. This will help with the females more. They will not be too afraid to come out around their shells.

HTH....

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

OH, OK, so by me having them in 2 PILES I'm somewhat instigating a fight? So if I'm understanding this correctly I should still have shell groups but I should spread the shells out instead of piling them? These are my first shellies so I'm new to this. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Since multis are from areas with definite shell piles, rather than the more spread-out shells common to ocellatus and brevis habitats, for example, it's best to have real piles. Shell piles multis live in within the Lake can be as deep as 20 feet of shells, shells, shells!
Separating them into two can help keep the two males from needing to argue over territory, particularly if you put some kind of visual barrier (rock, plastic plants) between the two so they can choose not to fight.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

LM, I agree that in the wild there are huge shell piles as you have described, and they are sometimes 40-50 feet across them with multiple males and all.

But, the point is, the females do not make their homes right next to each other, in side by side shells, but several or more shells away. For this reason is why I said to separate them a little, but still keep them grouped together in 2 areas.

Now Dempsey, if you have enough shells to make piles that will give room between females, then I am all for that as well. My point was to have enough area available between females, be it just space, or be it several other shells in the pile.

HTH....

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...