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what to do about Macmasteri fry

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
Hello everyone, my macmasteri pair have finally got it correct and the eggs have hatched! :D
I have about 20 free swimming fry in my aquarium, this is all very exciting for me but the female gets very distracted, coming up to the glass and trying to chase the male etc.
I know this is the first truly successful spawn and usually the first time the fry die but should i remove them, the male or just leave them? I am also hatching some bbs to feed them if they are able to survive for that long.
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
84E45E95-1D4B-401A-92F4-A87ADA837D1F_1_105_c.jpeg

606F9E67-6679-486A-8BBF-5EAB6643A591_1_105_c.jpeg

a few photos of the fry and mother
 

Andy452

Member
Messages
39
I also suggest removing the male. They can get temprimental and become aggressive.
This page has some tips for breeding apistogramma which I have found useful before.

Also if the fry are too small for BBS microworms work well, although having said that the size in the photo suggest they will probably take the BBS.

Good luck.

Any further update on how they are going?
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
They have taken bbs since they became free swimming, they are now about a week and a half old and venture quite far from the female. I have been feeding bbs 3-5 times daily and they have grown quite rapidly and are now at .5 cm.

I didn’t end up removing the male because he is not aggressive whatsoever and doesn’t come near the fry at all. The female sometimes leaves the fry to display to the male and then eventually returns to the fry after a minute or so. However If he comes too close to the fry the female drives him away but this happens infrequently. I haven’t seen a decline in the fry’s numbers so there still is about 25 of them.

I am very pleased with how good their parenting is considering this is the first time I have seen them with fry!

also I will try to get photos but can’t at this very minute as they are in the furthest back corner of my tank
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
Further Update: My male macmasteri has taken all of the fry of which there are about 25 still, he drives the female away when she comes close to them. yet seeks hurt out to display at her when she hides.

The fry are about 1cm now and the female is not in breeding dress, yesterday was the first day i didn't see her in breeding dress for the past month. I may end up removing the fry because the male guards them but seems more interested in chasing the female sometimes.
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
I have had this very thing happen with one of my pair of Mac's I had, he would let her have them for about a week or so and then drive her away and after a week or so he would eat them, I would remove the male and see if she go's back to them or if to stressed she may eat them, but at least you have a breeding pair. Every Mac pair that would breed good bred all the time none stop. Do you have grow out tanks for the fry? It doesn't take long to get covered up in fry with no place for them to go.
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
thanks for the responses, I have a 2.5 gallon bare bottomed tank, a 3.5 gallon bare bottomed tank and a 33 gallon aquarium with some sand on the bottom all with sponge filters, I'm planning on moving the male to the 33 gallon tank as I already have a divider in it so he can be in a different section from the fry when they are small incase he decides they look like a snack.
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
I would put a few in each small tank w/established tank water/sponge to kind of spread them out if your wanting to save some, any that get past the divider will more than likely be treats for the male. At this point I would remove about half to the small tanks and try leaving some with the mother. Any pairs I dont want breeding I split or put in a small shoal of tetras and the BN keep the eggs and wigglers down pretty good. The small tanks can work [for a short time] but they may go bad fast so you will need to do at least w/c every other day, a 10 gl. is only about $15.00 and would do you much better and if keeping the fry your going to need more tanks anyway.
 

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