The hens lay small eggs and are good brooders. Mouth brooders - carry eggs or larvae in their mouth. "B. europaeas" are simultaneous hermaphrodites and brooders that reproduce sexually once a year. The females, which are mouth brooders, choose which male they want to fertilize their eggs. Males are abdomino-lip brooders. Mouth brooders can be ovophiles or larvophiles. "Sturisoma" species are open brooders. Like other members of the "Loricariichthys" group, "Loricariichthys" species are lip brooders. Unlike the well-known oreochromine tilapias that are mouthbrooders, "Coptodon" are substrate brooders. All "Aulonocara" species are maternal mouth brooders.