Neolamprologus multifasciatus

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Many Banded Shell-Dweller
Many Banded Shell-Dweller
Species	Neolamprologus multifasciatus
Difficulty	Moderate
Min. Tank Size	75.708 liters 75,708.236 mL 20 US Gallons (75.7L)
Size	1.575 in 3-4 cm (1.2-1.6")
pH	7.8 - 8.5
Temp.	297.15 K 75.2 °F 534.87 °R 301.15 K 82.4 °F 542.07 °R24 -28 °C (75.2-82.4°F)
Water Hardness	12-20
Stocking Ratio	1:2 M:F
Availability	Uncommon
Diet	Omnivore Pellet Foods Flake Foods Live Foods
Life Span	5-8 years

[edit] Alternative names

Multi, Many Banded Shell-Dweller, Multifasciatus Dwarf Cichlid

[edit] Sexing

Males tend to be larger and stockier than females, and will also dominate over females.

[edit] Tank compatibility

Bottom dwelling fish that inhabits empty shells of the Neothauma Snail native to Lake Tanganyika. Best kept in a species tank.

[edit] Diet

Primarily an insectivorous fish, they do well on most common small or crumbled foods with the occasional live food of bloodworms, cyclops or similarly small live foods.

[edit] Feeding regime

Feed once or twice a day.

[edit] Environment Specifics

This Shelldweller needs sand, roughly 1.5-2" (3.8-5.1cm) deep and shells for inhabitation. The shells do not have to be Neothauma but have a large enough opening for the fish to swim into yet not much bigger than the fish itself. The Multifasciatus likes to have a small territory with a number of shells for living in and as an emergency hiding place from predators or threats.

They do not require a large or spacious tank but are best kept in a small group of three to five in an aquarium no less than 20 US Gallons (75.7L) in size.

[edit] Behaviour

Males are territorial, but their territories are small. Will rearrange shells to suit their liking and rarely go far from their selected shells.

[edit] Identification

A small elongate fish with a rounded nose and the body has many dark vertical bands.

[edit] Pictures

Multi

Multi Male

[edit] External links

• Fishbase
• Fishforums.net
• Cichlid Forum