Ivancarra bimaculata pair sharing cave is this normal?

[Asuma Sarugobi]

Is it normal for the male and female to protect eggs in the same cave? They have been together for 3 days

 

[MacZ]

Ivanacara are not cave brooders to my knowledge (@Mike Wise please correct me), so it rather seems like they are stressed and looking for cover. Can you post a picture of the tank?

 

[Mike Wise]

Ivanacara and Nannacara species are 'secretive spawners'. This means that the eggs are laid in a hidden spot, but not hidden under a covering like apistos do. The pair are probably checking out a spawning site, but it really depends on how the tank is decorated to say for sure.

 

[SpotOn88]

Is it normal for the male and female to protect eggs in the same cave? They have been together for 3 days

I've got a pair and I've not seen this myself.

I've observed them sharing a spot (a pit they dug under one corner of a big piece of driftwood) but this wasn't related to breeding as far as I'm aware.

The one time they did breed it was on a piece of driftwood sheltered by plant cover. The female guarded the eggs and I didn't see any involvement from the male other than steering clear.

Despite there being numerous caves in their tank I have not seen my pair show any interest in these so far.

 

[illumnae]

Mine have always bred inside flowerpots placed on their side to simulate caves. Some pairs breed in the smaller pots, some in the larger ones. Usually they stick to their preference once the first pot is chosen, but not always.