What is she doing??

[Sarah Bella]

My WC a. panduro female is acting strangely. i *think* she's ready to breed but since this is my first time with these wonderful little guys im not sure.

First she has turned from a rather blah colouring to an intense yellow and throughout the day she shows a dark strip running horiontally thru her middle.

Next she is flip flopping all over the place trying to spear my male with her tail while swimming backwards. I saw her flip all the way over yesterday, swimming like a spiralling football down the length of the tank. She only does this in the presence of the male who has changed from a rather blah colouring as well to a more blueish hue. I've only had these guys for two weeks and she started this behavior yesterday.

In the event that she is getting ready to procreate do i need to do anything special?? In the tank there are the 4 otocinclus, 3 melini cories, 2 a. panduro and a highfin pleco (in a pear tree??).

I have bred bettas and its important to remove the parents. do i have to do this with the apistos? What are the chances (if she lays eggs) of survival if i leave everything the way it is???

 

[Mike Wise]

Congratulations, you are describing classic apisto courting behavior. A. panduro tend to form bonded pairs for the breeding cycle, so the male & female both take part in rearing the young. Your catfish & plecos are a danger to the fry & the parents will try to drive them away. Often this ends up with lost fry and/or catfish with damaged eyes.

 

[Sarah Bella]

and how long does the courtship usually last??? The longest time my bettas courted was 4 days, the shortest was 8 hours from introduction - nest- eggs...

 

[blueblue]

and how long does the courtship usually last??? The longest time my bettas courted was 4 days, the shortest was 8 hours from introduction - nest- eggs...

It all depends, usually the period is about a few days... while sometimes,
the male and female fish will show interests in one another for over a week (or even longer) before they spawn... Once you observe that the female fish has turned to be shining yellow, and is patrolling around a cave or a piece of driftwood, the pair should have spawned.

So, please be patient.

 

[Griz]

Once spawning has taken place, the female will spend much of her time in hiding with the eggs. She will venture out for food or to chase another fish but will not leave her eggs for long. After a few days she begin to venture out more. Look closely and if all has gone well you should should see a cloud of fry with her. All the best of luck!

 

[Sarah Bella]

thanx guys

Breeding and raising betta's has taught me more patience than ill ever need! lol

Well, nothing yet out of these apistos *yet?*. Im not surprised, i wasnt planning to breed them and she seems pretty tiny. Altho they are doing something new now. The female switches from yellow to stripey grey AND if i bring my face close to the glass she puffs at me, its really pretty neat. The male has done it to me as well. This is new behaviour for them and hopefully its a good behaviour.

 

[nightowl1350]

If they puff out at you there could be eggs somewhere Or they are close to spawning. My apisto c. make very poor parents...they eat the eggs. Last spawn the female was left alone with the eggs and she ate them (or wigglers)as well

 

[Sarah Bella]

4 days and still nothing. The tank really had no plants except for one puny java fern. I added a couple of handfuls of java moss and guppy grass to block the back entrances of the caves from the cories. They are still courting so perhaps they will feel more secure now in starting a family. i also raised the temp from 66 - 68..

 

[Mike Wise]

i also raised the temp from 66 - 68..

Is this really the water temperature? If so, it is at least 10º F too low!

 

[Sarah Bella]

really?? im pretty sure i read that in the wild they spawn in cooler temps... after rainfall and under shade of dense vegetation of the south american rain forests... i'll have to go recheck that... it hasnt seemed to bother them tho and even prompted their courtship..

today i see him, he's been hiding in a very dark cave since noon, i can only see part of his eye and she is nowhere to be found. He always comes out to greet me, and she is always out and about.

 

[Mike Wise]

A. panduro is an upland jungle stream inhabiting species that prefers temperatures cooler than the average apisto, but living for long periods in temperatures below 72ºF/22ºC is detrimental to their health. Ideal maintenace for this species is around 75ºF/25ºC.

Even if you are lucky enough to get your fish to breed at this temperature, you will end up with almost all females. Sex determination in apistos is primarily temperature dependent. Most species produce 50/50 ratios at around 79ºF/26ºC.