Best Cave/Hut for Apistogramma?

[Wrothgar]

Does anyone know the best Cave/hut to get for Apistogramma breeding? I've found great success with Aquarium Co-op's caves, but their price is too much for needing to buy near a dozen caves. While other seller's like Cobalt aquatics have theirs at a much cheaper price but from what I can gather the entrance is too small for medium to large Apistogramma females such as Macmasteri and Hongsloi. I would use Coconut shells but the problem is most females in my experience dislike spawning in them and their eggs don't seem to stick as well the shells themselves. Does anyone have good experience with their caves or know any other sources or ideas on caves?

 

[Apistoguy52]

I liked the cobalt caves. The macmasteri group species ( hongsloi, viejita) I’ve kept had no problem with them.

 

[MacZ]

There is no objectively "best" product in my experience.

 

[KenL]

Little terracotta flower pots and saucers work well. Just break a little notch out of the rim and invert.

 

[apistobob]

Here is part of what I have written about caves in my article on breeding apostogrammas

"The thing about caves is they often matter more to the fishkeeper than they do to the fish. Apistos will accept almost any type of cave and it doesn’t matter what it’s made of. Coconut shells, Terra cotta pots, decorative breeding caves, driftwood with a hollowed-out section, or rocks stacked to form a cave are all readily accepted. So are much less natural things like sections of PVC pipe, 35 mm film canisters, pill bottles, and other small containers. Although I’ve used all sorts of caves over the years, I mostly use small flower pots that I cut in half or break into pieces."

 

[anewbie]

I don't like man made caves (coconut shells and ceramic); i prefer a more natural look with drift wood and rocks. Anyway most of the time when i have a cave the fishes ignore them and use some else - i have one sweet little gal using an empty mystery snail shell.

I do have a few 'legacy' coconut shells in a few of my aquariums but when they wear out i won't replace them. i do have one a. lineta who does use her. I think in the last few years of breeding she is the only one to use one.

 

[Mike Wise]

Note: the opening only needs to be large enough for the female to inter - sideways. In the wild most apistos breed between leaves in the leaf layer.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

... While other seller's like Cobalt aquatics have theirs at a much cheaper price but from what I can gather the entrance is too small for medium to large Apistogramma females such as Macmasteri and Hongsloi.

I'm not familiar with these, but if it really is too small (I've had a look at a photo, but it is difficult to judge size) could you enlarge it with a file? I've used a knife steel successfully with clay pots.

I would use Coconut shells but the problem is most females in my experience dislike spawning in them and their eggs don't seem to stick as well the shells themselves. Does anyone have good experience with their caves or know any other sources or ideas on caves?

Most of my fish have spawned in coconut shell caves. They've all been DIY ones, a coconut cut in half with a fine toothed saw, and then a small notch cut in the rim. I've never looked inside a cave, but there doesn't seem to have been any problems with egg adhesion.

The coconut caves I've seen for sale have had a laughably large circular hole, cut high on the side, and I wouldn't regard them as suitable (and neither do the fish by the sound of it).

The entrance to the cave needs to be at substrate level, so the female can adjust it's size with sand.

Cheers Darrel

 

[AND]

Does anyone know the best Cave/hut to get for Apistogramma breeding? I've found great success with Aquarium Co-op's caves, but their price is too much for needing to buy near a dozen caves. While other seller's like Cobalt aquatics have theirs at a much cheaper price but from what I can gather the entrance is too small for medium to large Apistogramma females such as Macmasteri and Hongsloi. I would use Coconut shells but the problem is most females in my experience dislike spawning in them and their eggs don't seem to stick as well the shells themselves. Does anyone have good experience with their caves or know any other sources or ideas on caves?

 

[AND]

Have you tried inverted clay pots. Depending on the species, the hole in the bottom (on the top when inverted) may be suitable for entry. If not, it can be carefully increased by chipping with a chisel, or an entry can be made by chipping one on the top rim (on the bottom when inverted) of the pot.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Have you tried inverted clay pots....or an entry can be made by chipping one on the top rim (on the bottom when inverted) of the pot.

There are some photos here <"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/ideal-spawning-cave.15329/#post-83402">.

cheers Darrel

 

[anewbie]

Best cave ever: