Apisto. Double Red breeding questions

[krelien]

Hey guys, nice to meet you. I'm happy I found a forum dedicated to Apistogrammas that seems to contain some knowledgeable people.

I've recently gotten an aquarium, 31 gallons, which contains:

19 Cardinal Tetras
3 Sterbai Cory
1 Bulldog Pleco
2 Pearl Gourami
5 Espe rasbora
2 Apistogramma double red (pair)

Not that I was trying to breed them, but the female has twice now dug a hole out from under some driftwood and laid her eggs. She did this yesterday and has been guarding her unhatched babies non stop so far. My first and most important question would be are the tank mates at any risk? The male and female both can be pretty aggressive, though there is lots of space in the tank, I presume they will all be fine. The tank has a lot of decoration, a lot of large plants, and a large piece of driftwood in the middle almost dividing the tank. The double reds bred on the right side, so they should stick to the left, right?

Second question: could they be moved into a 1 gallon tank I have laying around? I'm not sure if moving the driftwood with the eggs on it and making the little cave again would be a smart idea, and moving the male and female into a small tank might cause some domestic issues.

Lastly, what do the fry eat? I've been feeding everyone in the tank with flake food, various kinds, and usually once a day some shrimp tablets for a treat/bottom-feeder consumption.

Any opinions or suggestions would be appreciated. If you have any advice for first time breeding in this environment I would be grateful.

Thanks,
Adam

 

[Zack Wilson]

Well congratulations Adam on your spawn, and welcome to the forum. If your female is guarding them well so far that is a good sign. It is hard to make absolute statements about how a fish will behave in a given situation, but here are a few thoughts. Others will be able to give their input as well.

Your aquarium seems to be set up as a nice community aquarium, which it sounds like was your goal. Unfortunately community aquariums are rarely conducive to successfully raising babies, and it is a fairly heavily stocked aquarium. Just about any fish large enough to swallow a fry (and most will fit this category) will do that. I mean, who can resist a tasty, wiggly, nutritious snack just sitting right there? Catfish being bottom feeders will be the first to find your little ones, assuming they result, and cories are notorious little hoovers. Tetras are also not opposed to eating fry and will be even more tempted to come down there when food is introduced. It's hard, even for good parents, to stave off a large group of tetras.

Okay, all that said, there are a few options for you if you really want to try and raise some Apistos. I think your chances are slim if you leave them in the aquarium. On the other hand it is not going to be a good idea to try and put the pair in a 1 gallon aquarium, you are correct. Even the mother and fry would likely be too much. Some might recommend removing the eggs before they hatch and trying to hatch and raise them artificially. This would involve removing the driftwood, and putting it in a container with water from the main aquarium, and adding an airstone to bubble near the eggs for water movement. You would then have to wait for the eggs to hatch, removing any white eggs so they don't fungus, then wait for them to mature and become free swimming so you can begin to feed them. Okay it's not that scary. Another option, which has its risks, would be to leave the eggs with the mother and let her watch them until they hatch, give them a few days, and then pull them when they are about to free swim (about the 7th day from laying, 5 or so days after hatching), then put them in the container and feed them. If you had a slightly larger container than a 1 gallon (perhaps 5 or so), you could even move the driftwood and mother and let them stay together and let the mom do the work of watching the kids and all you'd have to do is feed them.

What the fry will eat is again open. The best food most use is freshly hatched brine shrimp, which some pet stores will carry. If this option intrigues you it can be explained. It's live, moving food and gets a good response and can be hatched in short time (24 hours). You may not get as good a result, but some Apisto fry will eat finely crushed flake to some degree, or other finely ground foods. You can also get baby brine shrimp in a frozen form.

Well, hope that wasn't a TMI, but there are some thoughts. Now I'm going to bed...

Regards,
Zack