Around November I started to see the development of the bristles on the nose of the male. In December he had chosen his favorite cave and I could always find him there. It wasn't long after that that I spotted some heavy gravid females and I wondered if they were already getting to their sexual mature age. My question was answered just weeks later. I was most amazed at their small breeding size, the male is 6cm TL and the females a little smaller at around 5-5,5cm TL. In the German Lwelse database it says these fish get up to 14cm, so the small breeding size surprised me!
The young male back October 2016
![Image](http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/jacben/Aquarium%20IV/IMG_5528-1_zps8fxh8eun.jpg)
Two months later
![Image](http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/jacben/Aquarium%20IV/IMG_0619_zpspo3gctx4.jpg)
One of the females
![Image](http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/jacben/Aquarium%20IV/IMG_0617_zpsypjtovtg.jpg)
After a short trapping, I spotted a female in the cave with the male a day before, there was quite a large clutch of eggs stuck to the top of the cave.
![Image](http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/jacben/Aquarium%20IV/15894574_1089242804519122_5986838953284802715_n-1_zpspg0obrjo.jpg)
In the two days following some more females has obviously spawned in the cave too because the egg clutch had "grown" twice as big
![Big Grin :d](./images/smilies/4.gif)
![Image](http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/jacben/Aquarium%20IV/IMG_1446_zpsknukfiwf.jpg)
Around hatching day he started throwing some of the eggs out of his cave so I collected them all and put them safely in an egg tumbler to let them hatch. The eggs are tiny at around 3mm.
![Image](http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/jacben/Aquarium%20IV/IMG_1490-1_zps53038sjz.jpg)
Just a few hours later they started hatching. The eggs on the left needed a day more to develop and hatch.
All hatched.
The fry 2-3 days old and doing fine.
![Image](http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/jacben/Aquarium%20IV/IMG_1542-1_zps2lubsr4f.jpg)
Updates will continue in the coming days.