# Breeding pair of Leleupi



## cadets54 (Mar 3, 2002)

I hope some one can help me with this issue. The pair of breeding Leleupi have been in my tank for two years now and about two months ago the female started laying eggs in one of my larger sea shells. They breed about once every three weeks and once the eggs hatch the fry hang at the opening of the shell looking for food. The female guards her fry with out any problems it is just that after about 3 days go by the fry have completely vanished. This has been happening the last few times so the last two times after the eggs hatch I wait two days and remove the sea shell with the fry in it and place it in my 10 gallon grow out tank. I monitor the fry and after one full day the fry do not hang out at the entrance of the shell anymore, they continue to stay far up in the shell and don't even come out when I feed them. I let the shell stay in the tank for another two days and never see another fry come out. It seems that they stay in the shell and die. Why is this happening time after time?

I really beleave that when I keep the shell in the main tank when they first hatch that after a few days the female eats them. Over the past 6 months I had 4 Leleupi survive. There is roughly 20 to 30 fry hatch everytime the pair breed. It is just driving me nuts that when I remove the fry with the shell that they die off. I would really appreciate it if some one can give me some tips on how I can keep the fry from dying off.

Thank you
Frank Galka


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## ArizonaCichlids (Apr 4, 2008)

When you remove the shell dump the fry out of it. Just submerse the shell and lift it out of the water several times to wash them out of there. I do that with my comp fry because the parents are known for not being very good. The Leleupi are also known for not being the best of parents in the cichlid world. The first couple spawns with my leleupi I ended up losing a bunch and I suspect as you do that the parents were the ones eating the fry because the only other tankmates are cyprichromis. Lately though there is a large batch of fry getting pretty big and it seems as though the parents are getting better.

If I have the same problems with this batch of fry then I will be removing their pot and replacing it with a large shell so that I can use the same trick I use with my comps.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

When I had a breeding pair of leleupi I used a large conch shell that I had cut the top off. This made it very easy for the female to escape out the top if she needed to, and for me to pour out the fry. Just remove them from the shell and see if you have been luck.


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## Multies (Mar 9, 2007)

thats actually pretty strange.
most lamprologines will protect their fry or protect them until another brood is coming up.
then they either eat them, kill them, or chase them.

maybe remove the shell and put a clay pot?
so when they spawn and you see the eggs, just take out the pot and put them in another tank.
they will hatch and then just take out the pot and all you have is the fry 
put back the pot so the female can use it and produce tons of fry :wink:


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Is it that the water inside the shell at the back is becoming too polluted for the fry?
They start to die and the female starts again?

Perhaps she just needs some other cover to move the fry to?


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## cadets54 (Mar 3, 2002)

24Tropheus said:


> Is it that the water inside the shell at the back is becoming too polluted for the fry?
> They start to die and the female starts again?
> 
> Perhaps she just needs some other cover to move the fry to?


I am not sure if the water in the back end of the shell is polluted but it could be possible. But why are they hanging out at the opening of the shell when they are in my main tank and then once I put the shell in the growout tank they continue to hide in the back of the shell and never come out again?


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

To be honest I have not a clue. Never having leleupi breed in a shell. I do not know if leleupi know how to keep shells clean (ish) like shell dwellers do.

Maybe try a cave? (pot does fine too I guess)

Isn't that more usual?


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## gman87 (Dec 24, 2004)

I've got 6 leleupi in a 180 and there are at least 2 "pairs". I think they are more swingers though and will pick different places to lay the eggs. A few broods ago a female chose a calvus cave and the fry actually grew to the point they were scooting around the bottom a foot or more from the cave.......when some juvie cyps started munching them. I thought the lone calvus was the culpret or maybe the mobas but they were snapping them up like cichlid popcorn. Haven't had a single leleupi grow out in there yet but at least 4 generations of regani are still in the tank. The leleupi really don't seem to be good parents.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

I had a Leleupi pair and they were rather lousy cichlid parents. The mother was very secretive, but once the fry were free swimming the parents paid no direct attention to the fry, just maintaining a basic terrritory. The parents would get distracted and the other fish in the tank were just grab the fry.


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