mobile2007's first pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides

[illumnae]

decapsulated means no shells genes

[genes]

Oh...sorry...then something that is hard other then the shells then.

[mobile2007]

Thanks all. I need to be careful about the feeding and water change now.
Don't see any aggression between the pair, but the female will chase the male fish away when he is closed by.

Didn't expect the pair to spawn so soon( barely 3 days), even though the people from biotope told me that the female is in spawning mood.

Strangely that they lay the eggs on the leave, i have actually put in 2 claypot indian lamp.

If i managed to raise the fries, then i don't have enough space for them. Only got another 1 ft shrimp tank.

One question, do i need to cover the overhead filter's inlet to prevent the fries get sucked in?

[illumnae]

it'd be best to get a prefilter sponge on your filter inlet. your spare 1ft tank is good enough to raise the fry till they're sexable and sellable/givable. i raised my bitaeniata fry in a breeder box in a 1ft tank...it's been 2-3 months and only now am i cycling a new 1ft tank to transfer them to

congrats on your spawn! =) decap bs eggs are good enough to feed the fry, but please try and soak them in a small cup for 20 minutes at least before feeding them to the fry. this is to allow them to expand and hydrate fully before the fry eat them. this way they'll be soft (no hard bits!) and will not expand in the fries' belly causing them indigestion. my fries have always loved decap bs eggs from day 3-4 after hatching. i see them with nice orange bellies =)

[mobile2007]

illumnae, thanks for the info.

[mobile2007]

The female fish shifted the eggs for 2 more times, is this normal? I think i saw some movements ( wriggling of the eggs) among the eggs, they should be hatching next 2 days.

The female remains in spawning color ( yellowish, in fact the black strips darken ). The male fish seems to pretty helpless and eat eat eat.

[trident]

hahaha the male has done his job and is doing what most Singaporean like to do, eat!

[mobile2007]

luckily they don't smoke ( after job done) . haha.

[jedimech]

Congrats, mobile2007!!
Nice pair of apisto.
Hope to see photos of the fries soon!!

[mobile2007]

Thanks. I take a peek at the nest and saw some fries moving in the back corner of the tank. Wanted to take some pics but it's blocked by the java fern and lighting. Also, the female fish is hovering on top of the fries/eggs most of the time.

Not all of them are moving. I think this time round might only have slightly 10 fries. Anyway, have to wait for few more days before they are free swimming.

Congrats, mobile2007!!
Nice pair of apisto.
Hope to see photos of the fries soon!!

[mobile2007]

First swim with mama



Tiny fries on substrate

[trident]

mobile,
can you take a bigger picture of the fries?
Either that or I got to change my spec.
Nice fries, congrats.

[mobile2007]

Sorry, trident. My photography skill is really bad, haha. Will try to take and post when the fries grow bigger.

Unable to count but estimated to have 20+ small fries. Also, transfer the male fish over to 1ft shrimp tank, to be safe.

[jedimech]

wow, nice photo!!
can see the tiny white with green stripes fries.
Am i right?

[mobile2007]

The fries are too small to tell, but they appears to have brown patches/strips all over them.

Now the mother fish leads all the fries all round the tank, like orientating the fries to the environment. Currently, they are still too small to feed on the decapsulated eggs. Mainly on micro-organism on the mosses, plants and substrate.

I think cacatuoides is one of those interesting fishes to keep. Easy to breed, not demanding on pH, and exhibit interesting behaviours ( like defending the eggs, caring for fries, flicking tails at male fish).

[illumnae]

if the fry are 2 days old, they should be big enough to eat decapsulated eggs. mine had nice orange bellies after 2 days be sure to soak the eggs before you feed them though to ensure that they won't expand in the stomach of the fry and cause them indigestion.

[nicktc]

if the fry are 2 days old, they should be big enough to eat decapsulated eggs. mine had nice orange bellies after 2 days be sure to soak the eggs before you feed them though to ensure that they won't expand in the stomach of the fry and cause them indigestion.

How long do you soak the eggs for?

[illumnae]

10-20min should be pretty safe. if you want to be even more sure, go for 30min...you definitely won't need more than 30min. what i usuallly do is start soaking then go for dinner. after dinner, the eggs are definitely ready to feed

[simplefool]

Strangely that they lay the eggs on the leave, i have actually put in 2 claypot indian lamp.

bro where you go the claypot lamp? been trying to get the mini clay pot for flowers but all i found is plastic. congrats for your fries!

[illumnae]

you can get the mini clay flower pots for pretty cheap from Teo's plant farm in Lim Chu Kang. You can get the address from the forum's LFS directory. Be prepared for a long drive or a long walk!