Shell Dweller (Brevis) fry progression

[Andy70VWBus]

I have a 20 long with 3 pairs of Lamprologus Brevis "Sunspot".  One pair is pumping out fry, one pair is definitely shacked up together, and the third pair hangs together but is younger and not yet breeding.  I have vision breaks so they all have their own little territories, though they often mingle especially at feeding time.

After the first 3 sets of fry from the first pair slowly disappeared from the tank (eaten by their daddy I believe, but cannot prove 😛 ), I decided to catch out ten babies and grow them out separately.

Question:  how big should the fry be before I return them to the colony?  I do not want this to be a "death tornado" as Cory would term it!  Too small, and they get eaten; too large, and there could be issues of aggression/territory (as I understand it).  There are plenty of shells to go around for everyone.

I've read that Brevis are not supposed to eat their own babies, and will allow more than one generation to co-exist, but that was not happening with this colony.  I'm hoping that once I get these other small fish into the colony, then future fry will also be safer.

Thanks!

[teenage fish]

So I remove my shell dwellers by putting a rack like object in an extra tank, and I put the shells upside down. The fish will swim out of the shells and to the bottom where they can be easily netted. If you have an extra 10 gallon or 5 gallon it should be easy to grow them out until they are just big enough not to be eaten then you can put them back into the main tank. Also, adding more shells can help with fry survival, too. Here is a video of my DIY rack to separate the fish.

 

[Fish Folk]

That's cool! So you pull the shells, and they drop out through the grating? (Sorry if I misunderstand . . . never raised shellies before)

[teenage fish]

@Fish Folk, yes. The fry and adults will swim down because they don’t think to be suspended in the water column.

[Fish Folk]

Very cool! So much to learn about different species...

[Andy70VWBus]

I didn't know the trick about turning the shells upside down to get the fish out of them.

But, to move shellies all I do is wiggle my fingers at them and watch which shell they hide in, and then pick that shell up with its' resident fish and move them both 😛  I think that's far less stressful on the fish than netting them.