L. leloupi(shelldwellers)

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fishkid951

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 9, 2007
17
0
0
33
Australia
hi
i was thinking of somthing to breed in a small tank and i was told by a few people that shellies would be a good idea. the tank is approx. 1.5ft(45cm)x1ft(30cm)x1ft(30cm). i was thining of breeding shellies in this. i was thinking Lamprologus leloupi. i saw these in a lfs today...had no idea what they were...i even forgot the name of the fish by the time i got home...so i needed to try somew things...i got a list of cichlids and i knew the name if i saw it...and...i found it...i didnt even know it was a shellie! but now i hav seen em and like many other people in the hobby keeps expanding.

would these be suitable to breed in the tank i listed above? i think it is approx 8gallons(33L).
if so...
what should the tank setup be like?(fast current> slow current? sand? gravel? bare bottom? plants? temp? ph> etc)
how many shells and what size?
how many Lamprologus leloupi?
in what ratio? m/f?
how do you detirmin gender?
if i was to get them to breed(when i get em) how many eggs should i expect in getting?
how do i know when they are in breeding mode?

this is the first step in my research that i need to do before i actually buy some of these Lamprologus leloupi.
any help appreciated

also any pics of the breeding set up, fish etc are very welcome!!!

thanx again
 
I have bred Neolamprologus leleupi and they are cave spawners, not shell dwellers.They are extremely territorial once they start breeding and a pair will eliminate other N. leleupi even in a 6 x2x2 tank. They are prolific breedes with large spawns so they do need large tanks to feel secure and to breed. If you want to breed these specifically, get a larger tank and grow up a group of 6-10 in order to get a strongly bonded pair.

If you only have small tanks but do want to breed then I recommend Astatotilapia burtoni or Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor (Egyptian mouthbrooder). Some of the shell dwelling cichlids will find your size tank a bit small but a pair of multifasciatus will work. Siamese fighters and some smaller barbs are also breedable in small tanks.
 
I think your talking about these. Am I right?
 
My secret to breeding Leleupi was to use "Mickey's Big Mouth" bottles for the caves. I set several of them in the gravel at a 45 degree angle. The bottles provided a nice safe breeding substrate for the fish. And because the bottles are green, I knew when the fish laid eggs and when they hatched. Lastly, if when I wanted to raise the fry I just lifted the bottle out of the tank and placed it in a rearing tank. Feed the fry newly hatched brine.

Leleupi are very easy to breed.


Good luck
 
My bad... I saw the heading was "Shell dwellers..." I need some sleep.

Oh well I hope my posting helped someone...
 
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