I have had my 10 Leporacanthicus sp. cf galaxias L-240 for 1 year, 5 months and 1 day. When I bought them they were some very sorry fish ranging from 4-7cm tl. All of them had serious infections arond their eyes and especially around their gills. Their bellies were sunk in, and thei had lost all girth. They looked like spotted tadpoles. Of the 11 I bought I lost one of them the first week. The rest of them recovered and developed into nice fish. 8 of them are large 14-20 cm tl and two are slightly stunted.
Of the 8 largest fish 2 have developed into obvious males, the rest are females. The smallest male have been missing his right eye since I bought him. The Largest male is missing his left eye. If I didn't buy the two handicapped fish I would have no males, and no chance of breeding the species. Maybe there is a morale here
The smallest male have been sharing shelter with a female on several occasions, and when he is not having company he is sitting in his cave fanning (no eggs).
The larger male seems less desperate. He have spent the last couple of months sitting on his porch and looking very cool. Females around his own size are always hanging around him.
Today he accepted a visitor, and they have been laying head to tail in the cave all day and evening. I have never been more confident about breeding than now. It simply can`t go wrong. This winter I will breed one of my favourite species
There are a lot of other fish in the tank, and I intend to steal the eggs as soon as I see them and hatch them with methylene blue. I will also try to let them do it naturally, but not the first time.
Sorry about the lack of pictures, but I don`t have a camera.
