Hi, I'd just like to seek some opinions on certain aspects of breeding apistos and raising the fries
1. I keep/breed my apistos in pairs in planted tank. But i am seriously considering revamping my tanks into specialised breeding tanks. Reason is with heavy feeding and the bioload with fries around, it is quite difficult to keep the elements in the tank at an optimal level, end result being excessive nitrates etc leading to algae boom. I am thinking of setting up breeding tanks with driftwoods, caves and minimal plants such as ferns and crypts, and aerate the tanks with air pumps instead of injected CO2 which i am using in my planted tanks now. Any suggestions or recommendations? I am worried that i might still end up with algae on the driftwoods and plants..
2. Next qn is lighting of breeding tanks, shall i keep the lighting on all the time? I got varied opinions from fellow hobbyists..some keep their lighting on 24/7 while some don't even turn on their lighting at all after their apistos have spawned. I am currently lighting my tanks about 8 hours a day...but i read somewhere that the sudden on/off of light may frighten the apistos..
3. Is there any harm in removing the male fish after the pair had spawned and the fries had become free swimming?
4. I am changing 10-20% of water every 2 days when raising fries, any recommended practice in this aspect?
Thanks in advance for any response, cheers!
1. I keep/breed my apistos in pairs in planted tank. But i am seriously considering revamping my tanks into specialised breeding tanks. Reason is with heavy feeding and the bioload with fries around, it is quite difficult to keep the elements in the tank at an optimal level, end result being excessive nitrates etc leading to algae boom. I am thinking of setting up breeding tanks with driftwoods, caves and minimal plants such as ferns and crypts, and aerate the tanks with air pumps instead of injected CO2 which i am using in my planted tanks now. Any suggestions or recommendations? I am worried that i might still end up with algae on the driftwoods and plants..
2. Next qn is lighting of breeding tanks, shall i keep the lighting on all the time? I got varied opinions from fellow hobbyists..some keep their lighting on 24/7 while some don't even turn on their lighting at all after their apistos have spawned. I am currently lighting my tanks about 8 hours a day...but i read somewhere that the sudden on/off of light may frighten the apistos..
3. Is there any harm in removing the male fish after the pair had spawned and the fries had become free swimming?
4. I am changing 10-20% of water every 2 days when raising fries, any recommended practice in this aspect?
Thanks in advance for any response, cheers!