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A. kelleri brood care

Mike Wise

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No Kelleri is a delayed mouthbrooder. They breed like all other apisto: hang eggs in a cave. Depending on environmental factors the female may mouthbrood the larvae or care for them like typical apistos.
 

Fats

New Member
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28
Location
Greater Manchester,Uk
All my Kelleri have mouthbrooded at the larvae stage,the male also took part in this also. Here is a video i got of him one morning keep watching and you will see him start to spit them out at around 2 minutes before swimming off out of sight to release the rest. Sorry about quality and colour was took using my phone.

Ian

 

ste12000

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619
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Cheshire..UK
Great video Ian, those are not larval stage juveniles, they look to me to be a couple of weeks old and well fed! Great info!

I bred A.barlowi for years and once the fry were initially released i never saw the female(Or male) take them back into the mouth. However with A.sp 'Kelleri' i have witnessed the female take all the fry back into her mouth even upto a week after initial release.

Still a lot to learn with these fish!
 

Fats

New Member
Messages
28
Location
Greater Manchester,Uk
Cheers Guys

Ste your right there well past larval stage i had to remove the fry in the end as they wouldn't stop taking them in there mouth and they were getting a bit big for that IMO. My other pair the male never touched the fry it was always the female but this pair he does it all the time they even fight over the fry to the point when one spat them out the other would dart over and take them and vise versa very interesting to watch but saying that they were never aggressive to each other. There was no threat in the tank as they were the only fish in there plenty of hiding spaces but for some reason just wouldn't stop with the mouth care,like you say still a lot to learn with these fish luckily there seems to be a few about now in the uk at the moment so maybe we can find out a little more about them.

I also have a paur of Barlowi'Rojo red' form with a couple of batches of fry at the moment and i very rarely see her with them in her mouth.

Ian
 

merlin

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5 Year Member
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210
Location
Dundee,Scotland
When the kelleri female is carrying fry in her mouth, how fo the fry feed. I notice she does not take food when offered but she must feed and the fry must also. How does it all work.


Derek
 

merlin

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5 Year Member
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210
Location
Dundee,Scotland
I suppose that was the obvious answer. I see the female come out of the shell but she does not feed. She looks like she has something in her mouth. I never seem to see her having spat out the young and start feeding. I guess what I should have asked was does she stop eating while the fry are in their 1st week.

Derek
 

ste12000

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
619
Location
Cheshire..UK
When the kelleri female is carrying fry in her mouth, how fo the fry feed. I notice she does not take food when offered but she must feed and the fry must also. How does it all work.


Derek

The female only carries the hatched larvae, during this time she may spit out the fry in a safe location whilst she feeds but the fry are not ready to be fed for around 5 days, once they have used up the yolk sac the female releases them, they start eating and only rarely does she take them back into her mouth.

More traditional mouthbrooding fish simply stop eating full stop, i breed Betta albimarginata and the male will hold eggs and fry for 19-21 days.. During this time he does not eat at all!!
 

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