Apisto breeding in planted aquariums...

[BPASCreighton]

I would like to breed a pair of apisto's in a "low-tech" planted aquarium. I guess I'd like to start off with an easier species like Cac's. Has anyone had any success with this? I would like nothing more that to see a batch of fry swimming among the plants.

thanks,
Creighton

[rick4him]

I have 2 now. Mine seem to be doing just fine.

[Mellonman]

I've also had Apisto cacatuoides in my planted tank for two years without any problems (just don't forget to supply caves so that they can lay their eggs)...

[BPASCreighton]

Do you guys get fry?

[JanS]

The Apisto's will do fine in most any tank providing the water is clean. There are a few that are a little more delicate, but something like the Cac's s should work well for you.

As for breeding, it's difficult unless you have soft water that's a bit on the acidic side.

[Mellonman]

Originally Posted by BPASCreighton

Do you guys get fry?

Does this mean "do you get baby fish" ? (sorry, I'm French)
If it does, then yes I get some from time to time (but none survives more than a week - I guess they end in another fish's mouth)...

[BPASCreighton]

Mellonman
Cool. Glad to hear it can be done!

[Blue_dolphin]

I also have a couple of A.cacatuoides in my planted tank. Last week I saw the female with fry laying on the rock. But fry disappear after several days......I don't know how to keep them longer...hichic...

[zeneo]

Originally Posted by Blue_dolphin

I also have a couple of A.cacatuoides in my planted tank. Last week I saw the female with fry laying on the rock. But fry disappear after several days......I don't know how to keep them longer...hichic...

You will have to separate the fry to another tank or take off the fish that possible eat them.

[neon]

Hi all! I 've kept several couples of nano cichlids in the past (rams, apistos). They bred several times and i managed to raise some of them succesfully. As soon as the fry are free swimming and start to swim away from their parents they must be transfered in another tank because most of the times they will be eaten by other fish or large shrimps. They should be fed live food many times a day and this could be a problem in a full planted tank with aquascaping aspect.

Here is a last year pic of my Apistogramma macmasteri fry. They are about 7 days old and i moved them in another tank when they grew to 15 days old.

[goalcreas]

Originally Posted by JanS

The Apisto's will do fine in most any tank providing the water is clean. There are a few that are a little more delicate, but something like the Cac's s should work well for you.

As for breeding, it's difficult unless you have soft water that's a bit on the acidic side.

Not so, I have bred and raised many batches in planted tanks with Liquid Rock Tap water. Cac's adapt very well.

You will have to remove the fry and grow them out in a separate 5 gallon or the like, bare bottom so you can clean up daily after you feed and you have to feed 2-3 times a day.

Also, one key to them doing this often is slow moving to still water.
In high flow tanks, they never breed. The female is always yellow, but never eggs or fry (they are Hongsloi and Mcmasterii also now in there and that might also be why they don't breed) but in the past, only in the slow flow tanks would they breed and raise fry to where I could get them out.

Good luck, it is fun, hard work and worth it.

[JanS]

Sorry, I stand corrected. I guess I haven't tried Cac's, so I shouldn't have spoken so soon. As a rule, if most Apisto's have been bred and raised in the conditions I mentioned above, then put into the "liquid rock" conditions, they don't do as well with spawning.

Great photo of your fry Neon!

[goalcreas]

No need to be sorry.
I now have only RO so I can no longer comment on the Liquid rock, that was experiences past.

[Liz_M]

I've bred A. borellii "Opal" in a 10g low tech aquarium. Also did so with Mikrogeophagus (which were easier, IME). The fry are the hardest thing to care for since they are small. I fed vinager eels and micro worms. Good luck!

[rit]

Originally Posted by neon

Hi all! I 've kept several couples of nano cichlids in the past (rams, apistos). They bred several times and i managed to raise some of them succesfully. As soon as the fry are free swimming and start to swim away from their parents they must be transfered in another tank because most of the times they will be eaten by other fish or large shrimps. They should be fed live food many times a day and this could be a problem in a full planted tank with aquascaping aspect.

Here is a last year pic of my Apistogramma macmasteri fry. They are about 7 days old and i moved them in another tank when they grew to 15 days old.

How can you move these fry out off the tank. Do you have special method?

[Jur4ik]

with a water horse it would be an easy - 16mm wuld be enough i think. just stop the flow with the finger and than suck them with the water flow into another tank placed near your main tank i think this would be the easiest and fastest method

a tip: give the parents half coconut flat and in a few weeks or months you will have your first frys - they are really easy to breed

[Brilliant]

Apistogramma are soft water cichlids from South America...save the liquid rock for the Africans.

My Apistogramma are bred in planted tank. I remove the freeswimmers before the next spawn or else mom will.