[ahud]

I only account for 3 out of 4 multis.

I'm worried one died since it has been three days since I have seen it. There are about a hundred or so shells in the shell bed, any other suggestions besides smell checking all of them?

One dead multi won't make that much of an ammonia spike will it?

 

[prov356]

One dead multi won't make that much of an ammonia spike will it?

No, I wouldn't worry about it. If it's dead, nothing you can do, and if it's not, nothing you need do. You just have to let fish make their way sometimes.

 

[ahud]

Thanks Tim.

I'm adding 5 more tomorrow, hopefully an 18x12 shell-bed is large enough to allow the new additions to find a place.

 

[prov356]

Thanks Tim.

I'm adding 5 more tomorrow, hopefully an 18x12 shell-bed is large enough to allow the new additions to find a place.

I'd be curious to see if two shell beds would allow for multiple colonies as you'll undoubtedly get multiple males. Not sure how they tolerate each other, but my similis males were very intolerant of other males.

 

[ahud]

The males will fuss with each other, but the females are free to move from pile to pile in my experience. When I had two shell piles in a 30 breeder the behavior did not seem any different than the behavior in a single shell bed.

A 72" tank would change a lot. That might would be enough room to make both colony's feel separate.