Apisto Fry Question

[strohl71]

Greetings -

I have a trio of cacs in my planted 38 gal. It is a community tank with several red phantom tetras, several cardinal tetras and one bristlenose pleco.

One of my female cacs has produced several batches of fry in the past. None have ever survived past the tiny stage. I am not exacty sure what happens to them but she starts out with a good number of fry and the the number slowly diminishes until there are zero. Perhaps they get eaten by tetras or pleco? Or eaten by female herself? Or starve?

Currently, both of my females have batches of fry. One batch on either side of the tank, hiding and swimming safely in thick flora with the females on guard.

My question: Is there anything I can do to assist the survival of some of the fry in this community tank that does not inlcude trying to capture them and put them into their own tank or enclosure? I have never really attempted to feed them fry food. I do crush up regular flake with me fingers. It is a mature tank and I am wondering if there are little bits of organic matter on the gravel, wood and plants that the fry can feed on?

Or is this all just wishful thinking? Fry will not survive a community tank with tankmates that consider them to be nothing more than a protein snack?

Thanks.

 

[Bilbo]

I have found it close to impossible to raise fry in a community tank. Many of the more senior members would hopefully agree that a community tank is not ideal to breed fish or raise fry.
To make it even harder, the tetras you mentioned are far too quick and cunning for the poor mum apisto and she will end up getting stressed trying to protect the fry.

 

[Hmoobthor]

more likely..the fry are getting eaten by the tank mates.

Best to separate them into their own tank or breed the trio in their own tank.

 

[Mike Wise]

I have to agree with the others. Let's face it, a community tank is not a breeding tank - and is not like Nature, either. Any community tank is more crowded than the natural biotope and has less food in it. If you really want to breed your apistos, then you need to do 3 things: remove all predators (tetras & catfish), feed proper size food to the fry (preferably live foods), and keep the water clean.

 

[Tedstank]

I had the same setup in a 55 gal, plus a trio of Borelli's. Always did well. Could your babes be starving? I always left mulm in the tank around the plants and on occasion would smash up some fish food (very fine), soak it in some tank water and then squirt a bit down around each batch of fry (opposite ends of the tank).

I did lose a few ...I think the Borelli's got some extra snacks. The Cacs wre always socialble realatively to each other and I saw no predation between the females and their groups of young or the male.

The only other fish on the tank were some Cardinal Tetras.

I agree with the other posts in that if the spawns are important to you, a breeder tank is best. They spawn like rabbits, actually better, and I needed no more so let nature take it's course if it wanted to.