viejita parenting behavior

[cootwarm]

My viejita spawned recently. Everything was fine at first. The mother tended to the fry and the male defended the territory. But when the fry had been free swimming only 5 days, mother returned to the cave and only comes out to eat, leaving the male to tend the new fry. (She seems to be brooding another batch already!)

While dad still did a good job at defending the territory, he did a poor job tending the fry. He tried, as he would often grab a stray and bring it back to the group, but for the most part, he allowed them to spreadout too much. At one point the batch of fry had spread to over 1/3 of my 30 gallon tank.

The first night in dads care, he lost half the batch. The second night, he lost all but about half a dozen. After the third night, I can't find even one of the fry.

The tank is a 30 gallon long with 3 Java Moss covered coconut shell caves and a couple piles of Oak leaves. In it are 7 viejita(3m,4f), 4 beckfordi pencilfish and one oto cat. The viejita are about 8 or 9 months old, so it's about time I thin them out. I want to keep 1 male and 3 females. I also plan to put a piece of driftwood in the tank. I had to take the first one out because it got fungus on it. I think these 2 changes will make a difference for their next attempt.

I didn't find any dead fry, so I'm sure they were eaten. Who would most likely have eaten them? The other viejita or the pencilfish? I've read that the pencilfish are night feeders. :?

Has anyone else ever experienced a female apisto starting another brood when the first batch are free swimming only 5 days?
I'm not positive this is whats going on, but that is how she is behaving.
If she did spawn again, I wonder if the father is the dominant male(original father) or if it was one of the others.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Randall]

Missing A. viejita Fry

Dear Micheal,

Sorry to learn of your missing fry, but it looks like you'll have some more very soon.

It sounds like you have a firm handle on the situation. Most likely, some of the other A. viejita in the tank are the fry-eating curprits. That can happen when one keeps seven Apistogrammas in a 30-gallon tank. It might be a better idea to keep a trio (one male and two females) in the thirty, with the pencil fish, and move the balance to separate quarters. This way, there is a good chance that both females will set up shop simultaneously.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[fishgeek]

Have just had 3 females apisto's spawn for my first ever breeding experience
one ot the younger females , i didn't even know she had fry until they were free swimming, also had a second spawn after not tending the first spawn well
i put this down to inexperience although as you have mentioned the time spent with the eggs would have left the fry with less care

my female did take the free swimming spawn back into the orginal cave of a night time though

now she has 5 or so 1 cm fry and 30-40 newly free swimming fry

as randal mentioned i have 2 females both with fry at the same time , keeps them busy rather than hungry

good luck with them michael

andrew