- Messages
- 10
- Location
- Long Island, NY
Hello all,
I have been waiting to try a few Apistogramma for quite some time now, but a busy schedule has prevented anything of the sort from occuring. Recently, something very out of the ordinary occured: my local fish store received one pair of A. agassizi, and was selling them for $50. The reason for this elevated price tag was that they came with a 5g all-glass aquarium and light, and this was a very very expensive pet store (Country Critters for any locals). I have kept Rams and other dwarfs in 5 gallon aquaria before, so I did not see it a problem at the time of purchase. I got home, heated up some RO/DI water to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, added some blackwater extract, "Waters of the World South American Conditioner," and Seachem's "South American Cichlid Salts." I then proceeded to tinker with the water until it exactly matched that of the residents-to-be. I hooked up a box filter with some peat ad a filter sponge absolutely soaked with Bio-Spira. I plugged in their new heater, threw in a rock, some driftwood, some java moss and peat to loosely cover the bottom, some water sprite for shade, and a large Anubias barteri as a centerpiece. No gravel. At first, everyone got along all fine and peachy. The morning afte I acquired them, they ate several bloodworms with gusto, and were quite placid towards one another. Now, the male is relentlessly chasing the female to no end! She still eats, but he quickly chases her away from any and all foodstuffs. She is currently hiding under the filter, but seems fine in all other respects. Breathing is normal, fins extended, curious, eating...
I have read that A. agassizi males will persue unready (to mate) females. I know they are harem spawners, but there is no way for me to get any more females for at least 2 more months. Must I just wait until the female is ready to spawn? Will she perish in that time?
I do have a 10g I can set up, but it has no light, which is a major drawback. At best, I could use the 5g's light over the hood of the 10, so the sides would be dark.
I suppose I went off on a bit of a tangent, but my question is this: will the amle let up? Will the male kill the female? Can i put an end to this? Is a 10g suitable for a breeding attempt of these fish involving one pair?
Thank you all in advance for your wonderfully informative answers.
I have been waiting to try a few Apistogramma for quite some time now, but a busy schedule has prevented anything of the sort from occuring. Recently, something very out of the ordinary occured: my local fish store received one pair of A. agassizi, and was selling them for $50. The reason for this elevated price tag was that they came with a 5g all-glass aquarium and light, and this was a very very expensive pet store (Country Critters for any locals). I have kept Rams and other dwarfs in 5 gallon aquaria before, so I did not see it a problem at the time of purchase. I got home, heated up some RO/DI water to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, added some blackwater extract, "Waters of the World South American Conditioner," and Seachem's "South American Cichlid Salts." I then proceeded to tinker with the water until it exactly matched that of the residents-to-be. I hooked up a box filter with some peat ad a filter sponge absolutely soaked with Bio-Spira. I plugged in their new heater, threw in a rock, some driftwood, some java moss and peat to loosely cover the bottom, some water sprite for shade, and a large Anubias barteri as a centerpiece. No gravel. At first, everyone got along all fine and peachy. The morning afte I acquired them, they ate several bloodworms with gusto, and were quite placid towards one another. Now, the male is relentlessly chasing the female to no end! She still eats, but he quickly chases her away from any and all foodstuffs. She is currently hiding under the filter, but seems fine in all other respects. Breathing is normal, fins extended, curious, eating...
I have read that A. agassizi males will persue unready (to mate) females. I know they are harem spawners, but there is no way for me to get any more females for at least 2 more months. Must I just wait until the female is ready to spawn? Will she perish in that time?
I do have a 10g I can set up, but it has no light, which is a major drawback. At best, I could use the 5g's light over the hood of the 10, so the sides would be dark.
I suppose I went off on a bit of a tangent, but my question is this: will the amle let up? Will the male kill the female? Can i put an end to this? Is a 10g suitable for a breeding attempt of these fish involving one pair?
Thank you all in advance for your wonderfully informative answers.
