Apistogramma cacatuoides

[hakan]

Hi all

I heart always put one aquarium Apistogramma cacatuoides male if you dont have big aquarium. I also heard 1 male sometimes 2 female, sometime 4 female. (4 female Sera CD) But when i putting 2 female, dominant female always tagging other female or females. Then other female stressed and the getting ill. Now i separate all females.

I have one karma aquarium. 126 liter (33.3 Gal) (30 Paracheirodon axelrodi, 5 Otocinclus vittatus, 8 Corydoras panda, 3 Apistogramma cacatuoides. In this aquarium female breding but i am losing all frys. I think corry and / or Paracheirodon axelrodi eating frys. But my small 2 aquarium one is 30 liter 8 gallon and 25 liter 6,5 gallon there are only 1 male and one female Apistogramma cacatuoides. I just put only two weeks. I am waiting but they still didnt have eggs.

Sand is important to breeding? or required?
Which and what kind of foods better for Apistogramma cacatuoides? I am fedding Tetra bits, Sera FD mixpur, Sera Artemia Shrimps, Sera FD Bloodworms. Are this food varietes enough?

any comments?

 

[Sil]

Hi Hakan,

In this aquarium female breding but i am losing all frys. I think corry and / or Paracheirodon axelrodi eating frys.

Your tank is IMHO a little overstocked. 30 Paracheirodon axelrodi - they are surely mainly responsible for fry's disappering. Corys are rather a serious danger for eggs, but they can also eat fry if it stays on the bottom of the tank.

But my small 2 aquarium one is 30 liter 8 gallon and 25 liter 6,5 gallon there are only 1 male and one female Apistogramma cacatuoides. I just put only two weeks. I am waiting but they still didnt have eggs.

Be patient:wink: Some tips you can implement:
- separate male and female for some time,
- make 30-40% water change,
- well feed your apisto - if it's possible with live food,
- rearrange your tank design.
Your breeding tanks are small therefore you should pay close attention to maintain constant water parameters.

Sand is important to breeding? or required?

Apistos sifted sand through the gill cover and clean it this way. Sand is not required for breeding.

Which and what kind of foods better for Apistogramma cacatuoides?

I use only live and frozen food in my tanks. Sera products which you listed are unknown to me, but artemia and bloodworms sound fine

 

[hakan]

Firstable very thank you Sil for your comments.

Yes my tank little overstocked for apisto breding. I tried to remove some Paracheirodon axelrodi but i could't. Because they are very fast swimming when i try to remove them. if i try to hard i have to damage my tank. A lot of plants barrier to me.

I am very afraid to live food. My before Apistos death from frozen bloodworms.

I feed Sera products Fried Blood Worms, Fried Daipnia, Fried Artemia Shrimps, Fried Tubifex, Fried Mix

 

[Sil]

I tried to remove some Paracheirodon axelrodi but i could't. Because they are very fast swimming when i try to remove them. if i try to hard i have to damage my tank. A lot of plants barrier to me.

Try to catch them while they're sleeping. Wait about 30 minutes after switching lighting off and there should be no problem with removing them. I used this method many times - it takes me only 10-15 minutes to catch all of my Nannostomus marginatus from my 200 litres tank.

 

[beleg]

Nice to see you here Hakan, foruma hoş geldin.

Hakan frozen food doesn't contain same amount of nutrients like the fd or live ones. But feeding them with fd,live and frozen is a good mix. The cacas are not picky so you can supply with bits from Tetra and similar companies. Those food have high protein content and should be fine. Baby brine shrimp (bbs) can be hatched and given to pairs for extra conditioning.

If the second female in the tank doesnt stop chasing around the first one then there is something wrong in your setup. Dominant fish usually chase around the other until the other one can disappear among caves, leaves or anything that can give cover from the dominant one. If you make a bare tank with only 2-3 coconut caves for instance , the dominant will likely follow the other everywhere . Until the other one cant get her head out anymore and finally gets sick.

The cacs you gave me are still doing fine btw. The male has recovered but female still has problems. I hope i will save her as well..

 

[hakan]

Thank you Tolga me too, hoşbulduk.

Ok only FD foods is not enough. They were eating much bits when they are crowded before but now they separed and they did'nt eat much bits. It is very strange. But all are eating Fd dried foods. (Fd Shrimps, Fd Bloodworms, Fd. Mixpur, Fd Tubifex) Can you advise me where i can get clean live and frozen food in Istanbul. And newly hatched baby brine shrimp useful for adult cacaduties?

It is a very glad to hear your cacaduties going fine. I hope female will be fine. What kind of foods are you feeding?

 

[Apistomaster]

Hi Hakan,
Even though newly hatched Artemia are small, even adult Apistogramma like them very much. If this proves to be the only live food they get it should be enough along with the prepared and frozen foods.

I do not know what the regulations are in Turkey or whether this next suggestion is a violation of local Health Department regulations but live mosquito larvae are another excellent conditioning food if you are able to grow them, there. a 25 liter bucket can easily supply several groups of Apistogramma trios.

I place a few vegetable peeling in some water and soon have mosquito larvae during our Summer. Even bloodworm larvae appear in the bottom detritus.

 

[beleg]

Hakan,
I have my own whiteworm culture and daphnia culture going on. In summer its possible to put the daphnia culture outside to get mosquito larva as well but your neighbors might not like it if you don't tend to it everyday and constantly harvest the larva before they become mosquitoes.

I rarely give bits to my cichlids (once a week), i feed them mostly with FD & live food and occasional prepared food (mostly with shrimp)

About clean live food, the only safe live food you can get is daphnia from M.Ferit's shop. He cultures them in his back yard but its quite expensive(10YTL a cup). I got a culture form him and breeding my own supply in a 9 l bottle with green water and yeast.

Frozen food is also hard to get here, i don't recommend them to be used since they are mostly expired. I wouldn't give them to my fish.

IME the most hassle free live food you can get for apistogramma adults is bbs. If you got time and place whiteworms are also good. Daphnia ranks third.