Neolamp. leleupi with fry

[TaffyFish]

The leleupi have just spawned for a third time having lost their entire previous spawns to an unknown problem.

The first time I put it down to young parents unable to defend the fry against the synos. they had spawned in an open facing cave in the substrate.

The second time I provided an upturned flowerpot which the synos could not get into. Again they lost the entire spawn overnight.

I'm now thinking that both losses might be down to me feeding the fry with baby food too soon, that is whilst they still have yolksacks. The yolksacks are not actually visible to me so would that be right? When do I start feeding the fry?

Are the parents still just too young to look after them in a community set up?

 

[Somonas]

I have never bred leleupis (or kept them). but congratulations on your spawn. I had a pair of brichardis spawn (and spawn, and spawn). they look after their own fry, and they'll take food and spit it towards the fry. otherwise the fry will eat powdered flake, just put it in the tank and make sure it goes near the fry.
you might want to search around Google for information specific to leleupis.

 

[TaffyFish]

Yep, my brichardis have recently spawned for the third time and the parents are already clearing out the nest site again!! When will they stop?

I had thought about moving my 3 calvus in to reduce the numbers of the fry but thought that might be cruel as the brichardi parents would go for the calvus and either kill them or die trying. In the wild I would imagine calvus and other predators would be mobbed by brichardis if they came into the breeding areas.

As for the leleupi I'm trying 2 options this time. I have syphoned about half the brood into a fry trap and will look after them myself. I'll leave the leleupi to look after the rest in the flowerpot and continue to feed the tank as normal.

 

[wayne]

How many days is it before they disappear?.. They could be starving to death, but normally you'd expect a few to hang in, alternatively the parents might be panicing when they become free swimming and more open to assault, and be eating them.

 

[wayne]

As far as breeding traps go , the normal transparent ones are crap. Go to your local garden centre or lfs which does ponds, and get a submarine plant pot - mine is 8 by 8 inches by 5 deep and has stacks of little holes round the side, and is far , far superior to some pissy little box. Also , it's black, so you don't have everything else in the tank hanging around, and you don't have to cover the bottom. (cichlid fry don't seem to like transparent bottoms much)

 

[TaffyFish]

The parents would rather eat them than allow them to swim freely? I hadn't thought about the parents being the culprits.

Well, thanks Wayne, that has persuaded me to feed them in the flowerpot as well as the fry trap.

The "pissy little box" trap will do until they're just a bit bigger, then they can grow on in the Q tank (18x12x12) with cyprichromis fry. It has a black sand bottom btw as that got sucked out by the syphon along with the fry!!