trying to spawn eunotus

[Corie Dora]

I was recently aquired a pair of apisotgramma eunotus. I set them up in a sand bottomed 10g tank, with several flower pots a few plastic plants and a sponge. A few cories were with them as they were purchased at the same time. In a few days it appeared that they had spawned, the female was bright yellow and guarding a cave. I removed the cories.

The next day, the female was back in normal dress, and being very submissive. I added 2 tetras as dithers, which were completely ignored. I began performing 30% daily wc with room temp ro water, which brought the water down to 76, and it would subsequently rise up to 80 overnight. For a few days she wouldn't leave the cave, only to eat, and just poked her head out. There was nothing in the cave though. I moved the cave, as I thought that the male couldn't fit inside, and then she wouldn't choose another. She spent 2 more days lodged between the sponge and the glass, being constantly harrased by the male.

I removed the male, and added back some cories (they needed the sand bottomed tank as they were having a hard time in the gravelly community tank)

I put the male into the 35g community with some young angels, a few tetras and a retired female a. cacatuoides.

Both fish now appear to be very happy and are coloured up nicely. The female's fins are healing well from the harrasment, and they're both eating well (earthworms, bbs, bloodworms, flake, pellets)

I am not able to obtain any more of these fish, so I can't breed them as a trio. I'd still *really* like to breed them however.

What can I do to expediate the breeding process in these fish? I feel as though the female feels a lot better when there are other bottom occupying fishes around, but hesitate to use cories as dithers for obvious reasons. I've thought of setting them up with the old female caca, as per a breeding trio, only removing eggs if the caca happened to spawn. Is this a good idea?

I have a few 15g tanks and a few 10g tanks available to work with, as well as lots of plants, oak leaves, ect.

 

[retro_gk]

I don't think RO is the best for spawning A. eunotus, mine do better in neutral, medium soft water. I spawn mine in a 10 gallon with some sub-adult apistos for company. Just give them time.

 

[Corie Dora]

so what is the kh & ph in your spawning tank? My ro isn't perfect, and is around 80 ppm kh; my tap water is *really* hard when it comes out. My ph is around 7.2.

Besides water, I'm really concerned about what type of setup I should put them in, as what I gave them wasn't working out and would have resulted in an under-fed severely damaged female had I let it continue.

 

[Corie Dora]

I re-did the setup for these fish, planted out a 15g tank, sand bottom oak leaves all over the place and several clay pots. I put sub-adult cacatuoides in as dithers. Haven't introduced the male yet, but the female seems happy.

 

[mematrix]

Re to post

Hi I have a trio of eunotus and i breed them in my reg tap water which is very alkaline well water from a 5 well municipality in a ruarl area my water is 8.4 ph gh is from 50 -75 ppm kh is way up there 400-600 ppm hence very soft alkaline water. I found the best way to keep my females alive and safe from the big males of the eunotus famaly is to provide a 2 in clay pot with an opening drilled in side or notched in lip that is only big enough for the female the male will fertalize the eggs from outside the pot. here is a pic of the pot and my male and females BTW I have a trio in a 10 gal

Sincerely Curtis

 

[retro_gk]

Corie, my water has a pH of 7.3, KH and GH both 50-100 PPM.