Apistogramma Agassizi

[bmukh]

This is perhaps the 4th time that the Apistogramma Agassizis have spawned in my tanks. This, I hope is a journal which graduates from what not to do to what to do to breed and raise Apistogramma Agassizis successfully . So far, I am afraid, it is more of the former than the latter .
General information: I have 3 males Apistogrammas and 4 females. Currently they are spread across 2 tanks. 2 males and 2 females share their habitat with the Scalare Angels while another male has a harem of two females and a 15” cube to themselves.
For the last one month, I have tried various combinations (both pre and post spawning). Earlier, given all the 7 shared the Scalare tanks, I was apprehensive whether they will be able to raise their fries. Previously atleast 2-3 females had spawned. All inside flower pots. However, every time I removed the female along with the flower pot to a new setup, the female abandoned the pot for hours, only to return sometime (when you are not watching) to finish the eggs. So, 4-5 previous spawns and no success.
Therefore, I removed the dominant male and the two females to the planted cube. This time, one of the females have spawned, the other is been chased away any time she ventures too close to the pot while the male (a chauvinistic one) watches his two wives fight almost as if ‘won’t get into girlie cat fights”!
Day 1: One female, turned bright yellow is guarding her eggs in a pot. I will neither remove the females nor the pots but gradually (day 2) remove the other female and (day 3) the other male. The male is lazing around at a distance. The breeding pair was not fed explicitly live foods although I suspect some shrimps in the tank were good enough to fill the hiatus. I am hoping in a day or two (usually by 48 hours) the eggs should hatch. Given it’s a planted tank (running close to a year now…my guess is there will be enough micro particles in the tank for the fries to initially gaze upon). After the eggs are hatched, around day 5, will remove the female and the fries to a separate tank. After 10 odd days, will remove the fries from the tank.

That’s’ my plan…..am I on the right track?
Pictures in the evening.

[syed.ali]

It sounds like a plan bappa da, best of luck.
I would suggest onething from my betta experience. less you move the frys better it is. So instead of separating the frys after 5 day i would recommend leaving them in the tank, but put some sort of separator, maybe a tranparent plastic box, in which you get food stuff delivered, make fine hole, using needle and let the fry develop for another 10 days and then move it to a final growing tank.
With this separator you will be able to focus more on the frys and they dont have to venture too much around for food as its a small contained area and you njoi the same large tank parameters for the water and other micro organisms.
I am trying this with my betta fry as i was running out of tank options, i had 2 lot 1 about 25 days old and other about a week. I would have mixed the frys, the older ones would have eaten the younger ones. So put all the young one in the container with lil bit of moss. If you want i can post a pic of it

[bmukh]

Syed: Copy-paste from a differet forum

The pros of keeping them in the planted tank for long (atleast about a month is that) they will have enough food and a balanced setup. The cons are few...(1) a planted cube gets blocked for any one who spawns and whose fries would need those steady supply of infusoria for the first fortnight or so. Once the fries become free swimming it will be impossible to catch them in my tank. (2) I can't keep the water level reduced in the planted tanks. Reducing water level to 6 inches in the beginning and gradually topping it up by an inch every week or alternate week is a good way of raising the fries (thats what I am learning from the scalares) This is because, with huge volume and the fries separated from their parents, they aimlessly move around and hence miss the 'live feeds' often! Instead, a six inches height makes the fries stay in a group, close to the surface and makes it easier to locate and prey on microworms and brine shrimps. Its all learning by error and the hard way

Here is a tentative plan I have:
Day 1: Eggs, mother and other fishes stay in the planted 15 inch cube
Day 2: After approximately 40 hours from when the eggs were laid, if the eggs are still there and the mother is still guarding the nest, remove the other female.
Day 3: If the egss are hatched, remove the male (father)
Day 5: Remove the mother and the fries (I think/hope they will be in the pot) to a separate tank (12X 8X8) which is already running, has no fishes but enough infusoria.
Day 6: Watch for any distress among the freshly moved fries and mom, if things appear to be fine maintain status quo, or else all goes back to the planted tank.
Day 10-day 14: depending upon how the mother is with the kids, remove her and let the fries grow on their own.

[vijendra_s123]

Here is a tentative plan I have:
Day 1: Eggs, mother and other fishes stay in the planted 15 inch cube
Day 2: After approximately 40 hours from when the eggs were laid, if the eggs are still there and the mother is still guarding the nest, remove the other female.
Day 3: If the egss are hatched, remove the male (father)
Day 5: Remove the mother and the fries (I think/hope they will be in the pot) to a separate tank (12X 8X8) which is already running, has no fishes but enough infusoria.
Day 6: Watch for any distress among the freshly moved fries and mom, if things appear to be fine maintain status quo, or else all goes back to the planted tank.
Day 10-day 14: depending upon how the mother is with the kids, remove her and let the fries grow on their own.

Sounds great.... will definately work.....

An observation I had with my batchs is leaving the mom and the fries in the same tank reduces the chances of any risk of transfering them to any other tank as the fries are highly susceptible to change in any parameters..... Leaving the mom and the fries in the same tank will boost the chances of their survival... Once they cross the 15-20 days mark then only move them to other tank leaving the mom in the main tank and again introducing the male for another round of eggs laying....

Dont wait for the eggs to hatch to remove the male, remove him with the other female as the mom apisto wont tolerate him at all when the eggs hatch (if they hatch at night or any other time when you are not able to monitor them would cause a problem)..... she will become super aggresive towards anything that moves around the fries making life misreable for other tankmates even the dad apisto..... The fries will leave their home in search of food led by their mother after 2-3 days of hatching.....

Now eagerly waiting for the pics......

[syed.ali]

Syed: Copy-paste from a differet forum

I didnt copy paste, I got the idea from betta site.
Also with what i suggested of using plastic vessel is that you can use that to keep the 6 inch level as the container that i am using is of 6 inch only but the overall water level is more than that. With plastic it will keep floating, jst touching the surface

[bmukh]

Syed: Copy-paste from a differet forum

I didnt copy paste, I got the idea from betta site.
Also with what i suggested of using plastic vessel is that you can use that to keep the 6 inch level as the container that i am using is of 6 inch only but the overall water level is more than that. With plastic it will keep floating, jst touching the surface

Syed copy paste was done by me not you, from kolkata-aquarium.com

[Romi]

@bappa

Ah, so many variables to ponder!

My own two cents echo buzzyvijjy, do what u like with papa, and eventually mum, but leave the fry of one batch where they are as far as possible.. from what i learnt from vijjy's experience, even the mama, after a week-ten days, is to be c a r e f u l l y monitored: that she doesn't snack on the fry..

Microworms all ready for them, i presume.

[bmukh]

Not a very happy update:
Came back fro office yesterday and found the female still frequently visiting the cave. Activities stopped during night and today when I found her seducing he male again, I had to take a peek inside the pot. It was empty. Either f the two things have happened....(a) either she has ate them (most likely) (b) snails got to them or (c) she has buried the eggs/fries (which some cichlids tend to do).

Next update after I see whats going on there.

[syed.ali]

I am sure there is something better stored , we can never understand the ways of nature. So lets pray for better ending now.

Just for reference this is what i am using to seperate frys while keeping them in same tank.

I made the whole using the sewing needle, so they are pretty fine, I made lil bigger whole in the base using the small nail, as i want the waste to pass through and not get accumulated in the seperator. I used the transparent so that i see whats going on inside . I think its one you get in Haldiram when you order dahi bhalla .

[bmukh]

I am sure there is something better stored , we can never understand the ways of nature. So lets pray for better ending now.

Just for reference this is what i am using to seperate frys while keeping them in same tank.

I made the whole using the sewing needle, so they are pretty fine, I made lil bigger whole in the base using the small nail, as i want the waste to pass through and not get accumulated in the seperator. I used the transparent so that i see whats going on inside . I think its one you get in Haldiram when you order dahi bhalla .

Seems like a good thing...now only step needed is to find the fries!!!