# Babies in My Tank!



## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Some of you guys might remember this post I made: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=250870

Well, to my surprise, last Thursday, my wife found a fry in the tank,it's been a week since we spotted the fry and it probably grew about 4mm, it was about 6 or 7mm when we first saw it and as it grows it looks more and more like a neolamprologus leleupi, but it's coloration is, like with most fry, silver.

If you read my old post (link above) I said that the leleupi laid eggs, but there was no male to fertilize them. Well, a few weeks after that I decided to move the venustus to my QT and move the smaller fish that I had in my QT to the main tank, since the venustus was getting more aggressive than usual, he's there my himself now.

Since then, the leleupi looked "bloated" or "pregnant" a couple times and the last time was a few days before noticing the baby fish, but I didn't saw any eggs. I'm pretty sure she's the mother of the fry, and there's only one fry in the tank, I guess the rest got eaten or are hiding pretty well, which I doubt. The fry is always hiding between two rocks and only comes out to eat particles of food when feeding time and goes immediately into hiding when bigger fish get close.

I have an Mbuna that for the past couple of weeks seemed like he or she lost appetite and was always inside his have, which is very close to the territory where the fry stays. Now he's back to normal, at first I thought he had something to do with the fry, but I don't think so, since the fry is starting to look like a leleupi and leleupi x mbuna is impossible.

The only other fish from Lake Tanganyika that I have are 2 neolamprologus brichardi (I had 3, but one of them jumped out and died  ) and an orange calvus, which has also died recently from jumping out (I've closed the lids now.) All the rest are Malawi's. That's why, after doing some research, I'm guessing that the fry is a hybrid between leleupi and brichardi.

I would like to upload a picture, but the fish is so tiny that it's very difficult to get a good quality image, also my camera and photographer skill don't help...

What do you guys think about the possibility of a leleupi x brichardi cross and the fact that there's only one fry?


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## 7mm-08 (Jan 12, 2012)

I have heard of some odd Tang. crosses so I'd say it's possible. The mbuna hanging out in the cave not eating makes me wonder though. When females are holding babies, they usually hide and not eat for 3 weeks or more.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Odds are that the fry is Malawi, since that is what you mainly have, and the Leleupi eggs got eaten.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

This is my current stock list for the 120 gal. aquarium:

2x neolamprologus brichardi (not sexed) Noticed they made a nest for the first time this week.
1x neolamprologus lelupi (female)
2x otopharynx lithobates (1 male, 1 female) Never saw them courting together. The female looked like she was holding a couple of times a long time ago, but I never saw eggs or fry.
1x Placidochromis electra (male)
1x Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (male)
1x Metriaclima estherae (red zebra) x Labeotropheus fuelleborni cross (not sexed, but I suspect is a male because of its size: 6 inches) This is the one that was hiding for sometime prior to seeing the fry.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Update: A week ago I saw the Leleupi chasing the fry, but the fry was too fast for her and was able to survive, still alive and close to half an inch now. The big news is that over the weekend I noticed that the brichardi had spawned (in the other corner of the tank) and there's about 20 fry free-swimming now. I had noticed that they moved the sand to make a nest and last time I cleaned the tank they were attacking the hose tube very aggressively. A week later I was able to see the fry and confirm my suspicions about them spawning. I'm feeding them Hikari First Bites 2-3 times a day, is that enough? Should I feed more often or something different, such as baby brine shrimp? What should my expectations be? Also, I skipped last week's cleaning because I didn't want to kill the fry by sucking them into the tube, should I clean as usual and just skip the area where they are?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

I have had leleupi x brichardi hybrids... so yes it is possible. Baby Brine Shrimp is a good food, but so is the First Bites. If the fry are growing, then it is enough.

I would continue to clean as usual, just skipping the area where they are. If you don't do the regular cleanings and water change, your water parameters could deteriorate, leading to deaths.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Thanks. I was thinking about getting a fry net for them, do you think it's necessary? or the parents guarding should be enough? Also, I know the father will go after the male fry, but when should I expect that to happen and what should I do about it? Removing the fry or male is not an option for me.


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