Ok! My N. leluepi finnaly spawned for me! However, the decided to do it in the holey rock...and not in the pots... :grr: Now I won't be able to easily move the eggs and guarding parent to a growout tank...

Now...I can see the eggs easily from the front, and corner of the tank...so that means that the other fish can see them too.....Now...lets consider what else lives in that particular tank...Hmmm...
:think:
3 adult A. calvus...
1 Synodontis decorus...
1 Tankanyikan banded eel....

ALL of these fish are known to be extremely good egg/fry theives....in fact in the wild, that would be the main staple for the calvus and eel....
:unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

Houston....I think we have a problem....

So far, the female is doing a great job of protecting the eggs...but I wonder how long she can keep it up...I think it will take 4 or 5 days for the eggs to hatch...then the female will move them to another site to fan them untill they become free swimming...

The eggs are bright white, which is normally a bad thing for eggs...however, N. leluepi have white eggs! so this is perfectly normal (for this species)

The eggs are the small white spheres in the lower circlular hole in the rock. In a couple pics, the female is directly over them..

Gratz CD! on your spawn

Thanks Barf....

I think I'm going to have to change the title of this thread to "Pretty orange fishy had babies".....lowest common denominator eh?

I had always thought lelupi were mouthbrooders like mbuna,
they're like tang rockdwellers aren't they

Yep, they are substrate/cave spawners...they lay tough sticky eggs that the female leluepi often has to "burst" to free te developing fry...often, she will then move them to a second location...

hmm, so she wont be able to protect them to good will she?

We'll see...It's going to take some incredible dedication on her part, but I've allready seen her back down the male calvus who is MUCH larger than her...

I don't get into the Tangs that much, but from those around here that have kept Lelupi, they say they are pretty good at defending the nest. Congrats and good luck.

you have time, my lelupi dropped eggs in a tank with a few more lelupi, and some ornatus as well as a front and everytime they made it to hatching...the problem was protecting the fry once she gave up the protection a few days into their short life

Well....I can no longer see the eggs :(

The female is still staying in the same spot, so maybe she moved them....I tried taking a look with a flashlight back into the holey rock...but I couldn't see any eggs...

*crosses fingers*

Couldent spot them either, but she is furhter back in the cave now and wouldent even leave when i fed them. I hope to see a few fry even if they all dont survive. I dont think she like all of the attention she recived yesterday.

i hope they survived guys! even if they don't i'm sure they will spawn again sometime soon :)

seedy, hate to break this to you but now is when you want to break down the tank and get whay fry you have. they probably have hatched and ar hiding like mouth released fry.

I doubt it chewy...they would still be wrigglers at this point...I'm pretty sure they got eaten :(

Thanks though...maybe the lil dumbasses will breed in the flower pots next time so I can save thier babies...

Well, mine had babies with brichardi, fronts, julies and loaches in the tank and they did fine....hope you have the same luck that I did. :tup: If you didn't get the spawn out while they were still eggs, chances are, if you try to catch the babies, you will suffer as much of a loss as if you were to just leave themn in the tank....they will dive right for the substrate if you try to catch them...and will be almost impossible to move. Good luck! :D

Oooops, CONGRATULATIONS as well! :woo: