First batch of Apistogramma fries ever!!!

[iwishweallcouldwin]

Hi all,

My A.Caca Triple Red pair was spotted with fries just this afternoon!! As many already know, I'm still new to apistos, and this will be the first batch of fries which I have ever handled. As such, I would really appreciate any form of advice from all you veterans out there! The more the merrier!
The quantity of the fries are still undetermined, but I suppose it is quite small as the parents are only about 5 months old and this is their first spawn.
Do guide me along! Like what stuff should I avoid and all. Really hope these cute little fries will be able to survive! Is there a need to remove the male and all, which means do I have to set up another apisto tank with plants/driftwood/caves/peat moss and other necessary stuff and start cycling the water as soon as possible before getting the male out? Please advice and thanks alot in advance! Now I'm starting to feel like a nervous parent!

[Cacatuoides]

Congratulations to you Clinton!!! I'm happy to hear this good news from you, its only less than a month since you got this pair from me they're working good and fast for you.

Things to note:
- whether female is too aggressive towards male?
- is female threatening the life of the male?
if not you can leave both together....
-watch and see if either parents will eat the fries (normally its the male)
- prepare bbs to feed the fries on day 2 onwards
- feed the parents regularly to avoid hunger

Last but not least, take pictures and document it!!!

[genes]

My suggestion, as i have always suggested to others, is to remove the fries once they are free swimming. This will be the best way to ensure a higher survival rate. Both male and female can eat up the fries/eggs. Especially since Ap. Cacatuoides spawns easily, the male can get inheat while female is still brood caring. As a result, he eats up the fries or eggs.

[yaya]

bro genes, how to remove the fries ? use tubes?

[iwishweallcouldwin]

hey eman and genes,
thanks alot for your advice! currently, both parents and all their fries, as I have noticed, are living very harmoniously with each other. of course, the female is currently the more aggressive one, but have noticed that she is slowly allowing the male to go near the fries, and the male is not showing any signs of aggressiveness as of yet. of course, its is better to be safe, and perhaps this means that I have to set up another planted tank for it parents soon! also, can i ask, what do you mean by the fries being free-swimmers? How long will they take to be able to free-swim? please advice!

[valice]

bro genes, how to remove the fries ? use tubes?

I think using an air-line tube is probably a good and unintrusive mean for the female. Create a siphon and then suck them into the holding tank.

That will be what I would have done if I am going to save my fries.

also, can i ask, what do you mean by the fries being free-swimmers? How long will they take to be able to free-swim? please advice!

Free-swimming will mean swimming out as you see now with the female and not in their vulnerable larvae stage. That's how I understand and guess it to be.

[iwishweallcouldwin]

Currently, the fries pretty much hang around the female, who is still yellowish, and generally do not move much, except for the occassional bogging up and down, besides that they just basically rest on the ada soil grains. at night, i believe the female will guide them back to her cave and after that there really isn't much movement, except for a few hyper-active pieces who will jump out of the cave, and the female will then bring them back in again. basically it seems to me that they are still very reliant on the female, so when will be a good time to separate the parents? it would really be such a waste if the parents eat them up for lunch! of course, eman, you must be really proud of your pair! really rare that the female is displaying relatively strong colouration on the caudal and dorsal fins at such a young age, and triple red patterns are also slowly forming on her caudal! Both pieces are so young and promising! the only thing that is stopping me from taking photos is a lousy camera. sorry eman! by the way, mergus volume 1 states that normally it would take half a year for the apisto's reproductive organs to develop fully. however, this pair is only barely five months old! does that mean that the quality of the pair is really good, or is this normal? i heard that some can even spawn as early as the third month.

[yaya]

I think using an air-line tube is probably a good and unintrusive mean for the female. Create a siphon and then suck them into the holding tank.

That will be what I would have done if I am going to save my fries.

okay thanks about that... my Ap. trifasciata just spawned but i guess the fries will hardly survive in my 50+ faunas tank included a A.cacatuoides and a checkerboard (Dicrossus filamentosus).

[iwishweallcouldwin]

congrats yaya... hope your fries will be able to survive!

[leeruisheng]

at night, i believe the female will guide them back to her cave and after that there really isn't much movement, except for a few hyper-active pieces who will jump out of the cave, and the female will then bring them back in again. basically it seems to me that they are still very reliant on the female, so when will be a good time to separate the parents?

It's quite hard to say. My thoughts were same with you. Thought that at night, the female will herd the fries back to cave and eveything is safe and sound, but the male at that time was still awake. And he ate the fries every nite when the female is sleeping. This is true, as every time i do a head count the very next day with the female herding her fries, the size is reduced. Good luck to you.

[carlfsk]

Ever come across the mum eats the fries as well?

It's quite hard to say. My thoughts were same with you. Thought that at night, the female will herd the fries back to cave and eveything is safe and sound, but the male at that time was still awake. And he ate the fries every nite when the female is sleeping. This is true, as every time i do a head count the very next day with the female herding her fries, the size is reduced. Good luck to you.

[sen_jie]

jus some updates. if i am not wrong clinton has remove the male from the already. due to the fact that the male has begin to feed on his frys.

[leeruisheng]

Ever come across the mum eats the fries as well?

Nope. If the female is protecting her fries zealously but also eat them, then it's a paradox.

[iwishweallcouldwin]

hi all,
like what eric said, the male has been removed after i witnessed him chasing and swallowing some fries here and there. surprisingly, either the fries are super good evaders or the male is a lousy hunter, but most of the fries managed to evade their father's bulldog-like mouth! but alas, still some fries did not manage to survive the onslaught. now the male is a lonely fish, along in another tank. anyway, majority of the fries are still alive and swimming, and they have grown pretty big already. to me, the female is never sleeping and always flaring! except for the occassional snooze. wonder if she'll get a nervous breakdown.