Diary of my first pair of Apistogramma trifasciata

[blackghost]

hi guys,

bought myself a pair of trifasciata from c328. the female is currently yellowish and the male.. is slowly regaining his metallic blue sheen. his however very shy. always in the cave i made using 2 granite slabs.

will try to take photos soon. once they are more adjusted to the tank.

feeding wise. they are a little reluctant to take frozen blood worms. but they do take a few pieces one at time.

how to increase their appetite for food?

[Cacatuoides]

You can try frozen brine shrimp too, I always condition my new apistos with live bbs...
It helps my new fishes to settle in faster as none of them has ever rejected such tempting live food....

my 2 cents

[trident]

Yes, live BBS, their favorite food. I try to give them that whenever I can.

[blackghost]

oh shucks..

during this festive period. i doubt i can get live food..

anyways. this is the pair. hopefully a couple soon..


left most. the female. the male is in the "cave"



both of them in a planted 2ft tank

[genes]

Congrats on your new apisto. Ap. trifasciata is one of the species that exhibit very nice dorsal finnage. Put a small mirror in and see his full potential! Maybe post a picture of him flaring to me us drool

When they are new in the tank. They may be reluctant to take food initially. Once they get accustom to the new environment. They should take the food readily. Try to feed them staple food at times. Once they start eating, it'll be more convenient in maintaining them. You can try ADA AP2, tetrapro colour or tetrabits.

[blackghost]

how long does it take for the fish to get accustomed to the new environment??

[genes]

It may take afew days to a week. It all depends on your setup and fish as well. For example, feeding them in the same spot everyday can help. In times, they will not be afraid to swim out to the area with food. However, some fishes just take longer.

[blackghost]

thanks gene.

guess i'll just have to be patient. once they start to venture out. i'll try to take better photos for all to see

[mictok]

Try using mirror to lure them out.Sometime their ego will boost up their confident to move around the tank.
My Viejita Gold use to be timid but now they are King and Queen of the tank.

[EvolutionZ]

awaiting your photos! i always have a liking for trifasicata's blueish colour

[blackghost]

hey bros.

found my filter flowrate to be very slow. so decided to clean it up. with that there was backwash of debris into the tank..

so did a 20% water change..

might have stressed him due to the water change. he seemed to lost some of his color..

so photos will be delayed till he regain his full colour..

[wasabi8888]

If bioload is low, slow filter flow rate is OK. Apistos actually like lower flow rather than gushing water.

[blackghost]

thanks bro for the advice. will keep in mind in the future

[blackghost]

guys.. help!

this morning around 10am. before i left house for breakfast. the female apisto was okay. swimming about..

when i return. found her in this state.. suspect it could be an attack.. a bite or something. what should i do..

the belly seems reddish and translucent..

[blackghost]

sadly.. she has passed on..

[genes]

Oh no. I am sorry to hear that.

This is one reason why i always stress to provide lots of hiding space. The more the better so that if the male decides to be too pushy, there are places where the female can seek refuge. Best is to provide caves where male cannot gain access to.

[trident]

my condolences to her passing
any visible sign of injury? torn fin, missing scales...............
if attacked, these are the usual sign you'll see.

[blackghost]

missing scales.. making it look translucent and reddish right below her gill area near her belly..

[illumnae]

the female looks yellower in the 2nd set of pictures when she was injured as compared with the first. could it be that they bred and the female attacked the male while trying to protect her eggs and lost the fight? that just happened to my elizabethae pair last week

[blackghost]

erm. not really sure. as she was already this color when i introduced her into the tank..