It pays to keep up with filter maintainance...

ecoli · Post by **ecoli** » 23 Jan 2006, 18:32

Yesterday I was cleaning my Eheim filter and found 3 1 inch long S. Multi swimming around in it. I keep 9 adult S. Multis with my Mbunas. Since Mbunas are not really good carriers for S. multis, I mainly keep the multis around for the love of catfish and never thought of them spawning.

So far, they are hanging out with the mbuna frys in some of the many hiding places they have in the main tank and are doing well. Is there any special things I need to do?

Also, how hardy are multi's fry? I am surprised that the eggs that gets sucked up in a filter can hatch and the fry grow to such a size.

Thanks

SynoSteff · Post by **SynoSteff** » 26 Jan 2006, 22:12

Wow, congrats. I should be getting some multi's soon ans hope I can breed them. Are your mbuna's spawning? Also, what you feeding your multi's on?

Eggs probably do pretty well in there. Has good water flow so they don't get fungus i gues ;) hehe. And once the egg is in it probably gets lodged so ther is minimal current. The eggs could also have maybe hatched in the tank and the fry just got sucked in. Will never know. Dunno bout raising the fry.
Try http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/2002_07.PHP
There is also an article on scotcats

Nice one and good luck

ecoli · Post by **ecoli** » 27 Jan 2006, 07:54

My mbunas are breeding like rabbits, no less than 4 holding females at one time...

I feed the multis sinking wafers from NLS after lights out but they also come out when I sprinkle cichlid food. I'm sure in the darkness, quite a few cichlid fry became their meal as well. In any case, when I got them, most of their bellies were a little concave but now, they all have the healthy rounded belly all well fed catfish should have.

toddnbecka · Post by **toddnbecka** » 28 Jan 2006, 08:46

If you found 3, you can bet that they have been eating any other eggs that came their way, probably a few of their siblings too

I've heard of petricola's turning up in filters, but never multi's before.

If I didn't already have 9 petricola's growing out for breeders, I'd get some multi's and try the HOB incubator myself

ecoli · Post by **ecoli** » 28 Jan 2006, 17:06

Yes, I think it is no coincidence that one fry was found per basket(I have an Eheim 2028)

toddnbecka · Post by **toddnbecka** » 28 Jan 2006, 20:13

Given clean water, a small multi's main threats are other fish, including their own siblings. Syno's are hardy fish in general, petricola's have been spawned in water conditions quite different from the lake they came from. Was the fish found in the lowest basket any larger than the ones above it? I would think it would get first pick of incoming food. If you happen to see them spawning, moving the filter intake closer to the spawning site would probably be an easy way to collect eggs, just check it weekly.