Egg Colour of Apistogramma Sp. Steel blue??

[Big G]

HI folks,

I recently purchased a pair of Ap. Sp. Steel Blue, and within 2 days I have eggs! Not a lot of eggs, but eggs none the less. All the other Apistos I've had lay bright orange eggs (when fertilised), but this females eggs seem a strange colour?

Can anyone tell me what colour the Steel Blues eggs should be if properly fertilised?

I have tried to find this info online, but as yet have had no success!

Regards
G!

 

[Mike Wise]

To a large extent, egg color of apistos depends on what they eat. Colors can be red, orange, yellow, white and even green (lots of algae in diet). Color mean little in the viability of the eggs produced. I'm guessing that the eggs are white. This means that the fish were fed mostly a dry food with few color additives. Of course, if they are white and fuzzy, then they are infertile.

 

[Big G]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the reply!

I never realised that egg colour depended on diet! Very interesting! Makes sense though!

The eggs were actually more of a brown green colour, but the guy I got them from said he fed frozen bloodworm for the best part!

All my Apistos get a varied diet of frozen Artemia, bloodworm, White and Black mosi's, mysis, cyclops and a few others. Oh and some granules in between.

Anyhow, I first noticed the eggs on Monday this week, and when I checked today looking through the entrance of the cave, no eggs! So either the eggs are eaten or theres wrigglers out of sight? Either way, the female is still protecting the cave!

Regards
G!