N. leleupi is a solitary species. When breeding occurs, a sexually active male and a ripe female will pair off; however, the bond rarely lasts longer than a month. In the wild, spawning occurs in the female's cave. Spawning will also occur in the female's cave in the aquarium if one is provided, otherwise they will pick a dark spot among the rocks to lay the eggs. If you use a flower pot or ceramic cave, make sure both the male and female have their own and that they are placed at opposite ends of the tank. When the female is ripe, she'll be fuller around the abdomen. Spawning will begin by the female leading the male to her cave. She will then attach her eggs on the sides of the cave and the male will swim over them, depositing his sperm.



Pictured above is a Orange Morph of the Leleupi, using foods that naturally enhance color will also affect the color of this fish.

Males and females are equally colored, with males reaching maximum lengths of 5 inches, and females a bit smaller. These appearances will only become apparent after about a year and a half. Ideally, pair formation should be facilitated by growing up 8-10 juveniles. Pairs will form after about eighteen months, at which time they should be moved to other tanks. This is because they don't tolerate conspecifics and it's difficult to introduce a pair into a tank after they're adults.