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Questions and observations

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
Hey all!

First off.. i'm not sure if i post in the right subforum, so if any mods think otherwise, please correct...

Do A Baenschi have shared custody, when eggs are deposited? I haven't seen much to the male lately, but i'm not affraid that he is ill or anything, because when he do decide to pop out, he looks healthy and fine. The female though, have been circling the whole tank, foraging and then turning back to the new cave (-Which this time is a large seedpod atop of a redmoore root), after each run... .

Do captive raised fish, have a breeding cycle? -like are they more active breeding at a specific time a year, which i assume wild fish to be.

Each time they have layed eggs, the cave entrance have been pointing west, is that jusr a coincidence or do fish have a preferred "main door"?

I have also noticed that in the days up to a potential breed, the two parents dart a lot of the decor, like they are pissing of their terrtitory or so...
Another fun observation is that, sometimes when the male is aggressive towards the female, his eyes almost shine, like "damnit woman, no i'm really annoyed with you"... -i'm sure that kind of statement is commonground in scientific papers..

Last question.. Is it normal for apistos to have more than one cave they are guarding? -the little female patrols 3 different caves.. though the male is only in one of them.

Then a small disclaimer to end it all off with.. Any all all of the previous statements and thought are by any means not scientific proven.. They are just my own thoughts on what i can see going on in the tank...

Looking forward to hear your thoughts on this..

-r
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Do A Baenschi have shared custody, when eggs are deposited? ...

Different species exhibit different breeding behaviors. A. baenschi, like other nijsseni-group species, join in 'breeding pairs' (not necessarily mated pairs). Typically only the female tends the eggs/larvae. The male's job is to protect his territory, which includes the female's breeding territory. In a tank with no potential predators, some females allow the male near - and even in the breeding cave.

... The female though, have been circling the whole tank, foraging and then turning back to the new cave (-Which this time is a large seedpod atop of a redmoore root), after each run... .

Again, it depends on the species. My A. wolli females (also a nijsseni-group species) do this, too. My A. sp. (aff. luelingi) Cristal tend to be out of the cave as much as in, but rarely wander far. My Wangenflecken Apisto females rarely leave the cave, except to feed, until the fry become freeswimming

Do captive raised fish, have a breeding cycle? -like are they more active breeding at a specific time a year, which i assume wild fish to be.

Again, it depends on the species. Most apistos, whether in a tank or in the wild, breed when conditions are right. I've seen brooding females in the wild during the height of the dry season.

Each time they have layed eggs, the cave entrance have been pointing west, is that jusr a coincidence or do fish have a preferred "main door"?

Pure coincidence. They tend to prefer entrances that are more hidden. It really doesn't matter which direction that is.

I have also noticed that in the days up to a potential breed, the two parents dart a lot of the decor, like they are pissing of their terrtitory or so...

I've never seen this. When I see this (commonly called "flashing") it's due to something making them itch (water quality/values, paracites). I've never seen an apisto 'mark' its territory other than by visual displays.

Another fun observation is that, sometimes when the male is aggressive towards the female, his eyes almost shine, like "damnit woman, no i'm really annoyed with you"... -i'm sure that kind of statement is commonground in scientific papers..

Like most cichlids, apistos are excellent at using colors in emotional displays. This is commonly a darkening of colors when showing aggression, probably making the eyes appear brighter.

Last question.. Is it normal for apistos to have more than one cave they are guarding? -the little female patrols 3 different caves.. though the male is only in one of them

If there are 10 potential breeding caves within the breeding territory the female will protect all 10 because they are within her breeding territory. She will pick what she considers the best in which to actually spawn, however. Once the eggs hatch she may move them to other caves at times

It's nice to see someone so observant of their fishes' behaviors.
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
Cool.. Thanks a lot for all the great answers Mike.
The female have now settled for the prime spot cave right in the center of the tank. She cleaned it up too and made a big pile of sand outside the cave.
I'm really happy she is back.

hey! a little side question.. >I was wondering if it okay to add new fish to the tank, when she is guarding eggs. I'm thinking of adding 5-10 more Nannostromus marginatus. i got 4 now, which is a bit on the low side for my taste.

thanks in advance.

-r
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
If this tank is for breeding apistos, 4 pencilfish are sufficient. No reason to force he to keep an eye on more fish. Of course you can add them and see what happens.
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
thanks a lot for the time and effort to give advice, to a rookie like me.

when i bought my 110liters. last year, i didn't think i would get to a point where i actually got any fry from my fishkeeping. i only knew i wanted to try and make the biotope-ish tank i had been tinkering off for some time. and i knew i wanted to try fish i had never kept when i had aquariums as a kid and young teenager. -especially apistos.
but when i first spotted a single Hyphessobrycon amandae fry, in the tank i knew i was on to something. that poor fella sadly died off somewhere.
a couple of months later the baenschi's brought out their first fry.

-so in short.. my fishkeeping have been mostly happy accidents. i don't build a strict breeding tank, but i do like to think of what fish i can keep, that wouldn't gulp the potential fry at first sight.

i hope i can squeeze in some time to go pick up a some more nannostromus.

-r
 

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