Sad news today…

A loss in the fishroom today.  The male Apistogramma sp. Pebas ‘morado’ didn’t make it.  I had set up 20L to get him away from female, as it seemed post-spawning stress was making him lethargic.  He wasn’t eating and was hiding in a corner of tank while female guarded the eggs.  The tank water in 20L was coming up to temperature, needing maybe another hour before it was right.  I came back to transfer him and found him dead.

He showed no signs of disease, but wild-caught apistos are known to sometimes harbor parasites; stress caused by a number of factors can cause them to succumb.  I have seen the female ‘scratching’, even violently a couple of times since.  I have treated the tank with KanaPlex (wide-range fungal and bacterial treatment).  It’s unfortunately the only medication I have on hand, and I won’t be able to get more until much later in the month.  At least I can treat any secondary infections, if not the supposed parasites.  I’m pretty certain it’s not due to water conditions, as I had done a 50% change the day before they spawned, and another 50% 2 days later when I first saw her scratch (only once or twice, which I chalked up to stress of spawning).

She is still vigilantly guarding her cave, and I’m expecting to see free-swimming fry ANY day now.  The ember tetras in that tank are fine, and she is chasing them more often now (they don’t even need to be NEAR the cave).  Hoping I can save some fry from this spawn.

In other tanks, the A. bitaeniata ‘Rio Napo’ seem very subdued, maybe a little lethargic.  Hoping a water change in next couple of days helps.  Everybody else in that tank (black neon tetras and SAEs seem fine).   These wild fish are a bit trickier to raise and breed than tank-raised.

The A. borelli family is doing great.  The fry are starting to grow a tad bit, and straying farther from mom each day.  Dad isn’t concerned with them at all, so the tank is peaceful.  Getting the banana worms and decap brine shrimp tomorrow, so we’ll see how that goes.  First time for me to feed either of these to fish before.

The female A. honglsoi ‘rostrich’ managed to get through the divider twice in one day, and I finally decided to roll the dice with that pair.  The male still stalks her, sometimes trying to attack her violently, but she is much quicker than him and has lots of hiding places.  She is eating well (he ignores her at feeding time…lol), so I think this might work out after all.

The A. cacatuoides pair is doing very well, as are the Loreto tetras in that tank and the A. hongsloi tank.  The “cacas” have lots of personality and always come right to the top glass when I approach the tank.  I realize this is because they recognize me as “The Giant Food Dispenser”, but it still amuses me.

And last, but not least, the A. agassizi tank is business as usual.  One female (on the left) is guarding eggs again, while another (center female) looks ready to bust.  She has gotten quite big, am hoping she lays eggs soon, or I must look at other possible issues.  I’ve had these fish the longest, for about 4 months now, and never any issues.  Everybody else in the tank seems quite healthy and the breeding doesn’t seem to stop.

It has occurred to me that maybe I’m feeding too heavily.  I started 3 times a day, with a good mixture of food, but may cut it down to twice a day.  I am also cutting down on the feeding of frozen bloodworms (thinking it may be causing some constipation), and going to try to increase dry foods (flake and pellets).  My fish are a bit spoiled with the frozen foods, but it may be in their best interest to have a more varied diet.  I’m sure if they get hungry enough, it will become easier to get them to take pellets and flake.

That’s all for today, will post again soon with progress of the A. sp. Pebas ‘morado’ eggs/fry and hopefully it will be good news next time.  I’ll leave you with some new pictures.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!   Mark

M Apistogramma hongsloi ‘rostrich’                  New female A. hongsloi ‘rostrich’

Female Apistogramma sp. Pebas ‘morado’ in breeding colors

Decent photo of Loreto tetra (Hyphessobrycon Lorentoensis)

New additions and updates

Good afternoon all.  Just a quick update on the tanks today and a couple new photos.

The borelli family is doing well, mom still herding the fry, but having increasingly more trouble keeping them together as they begin to roam on their own.  Still micro-tiny, eating freshly hatched brine shrimp and algae and other micro-organisms.  I am expecting a banana worm culture and some decapsulated brine shrimp eggs on Thursday to vary their diet a little.

The Apistogramma sp. Pebas ‘morado’ DEFINITELY have eggs or fry.  The female is in breeding dress, entering and exiting a cichlid stone in middle of tank.  The poor male is cowering in a corner, not been eating.  May have to remove him to the 20L I have set aside to grow out fry in.  Will think on this one, do some research.  This is the first pair of wild Apistos that I have managed to spawn, and they are not particularly common, so I’m excited.

The female hongsloi ‘rostrich’ arrived, and the pair played nice for about a half hour before the male started ‘stalking’ her and nipping.  She didn’t use the caves to escape, which is a shame, as they are perfect for her, but too  small for him.  So, tank divider went in.  Sigh…I need to grow her out, and hopefully when she develops eggs, he will accept her.  Or maybe then she will use the caves…lol.

The new Apistogramma cacatuoides ‘orange’ (another Czech-bred fish from Ted Judy), are amazing.  They are gorgeous and loaded wuith personality.  I’ve never had this species before, but wanted a pair that could do ok in a 10G, and they seem to be.  The male chases the female a bit and the female chases the Loreto tetras I am using for dithers.  I have the Loretos in with the A. hongsloi ‘rostrich’ as well.  They are a smaller tetra, just above “nan-size”, and I don’t think they will be a threat to the Apisto fry.

Last but not least, the Apistogramma bitaeniata ‘Rio Napo’ in the 29 are sto;; being secretive, but are out a bit more.  Since I added the two SAEs and the ten Black Neon tetras, they seem a bit more comfy.  They don’t seem to feed much, and I have noticed they eat leisurely, not competing well with the black neons, who are like a school of their cousins, the piranha at feeding time!

Ok, that’s all for now, except the obligatory pictures.  Enjoy, and have a great day!  Mark

The new female A. hongsloi ‘rostrich’…needs to grow out a bit

The male, in case you forgot what he looks like…lol

Pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides ‘orange’

Loreto tetra…very hard to get good photos of these guys and gals, but I have 14 of them in 2 tanks.

Apistogramma borelli fry and more!

Hi again!  Some things going on with the tanks this week, all good.  First, the female A. borelli ‘blue’ has finally brought her fry out of the spawning cave!  Seemed to take forever for them to hatch, possibly because I keep them at a lower temperature than my other apistos.  She is being a good mom, herding them around the tank.  They seem to be eating algae off the back wall of the tank, tonight they will get some live baby brine shrimp.  Dad is behaving well, also.

The A. agassizis just keep at it, but I don’t often see fry.  I re-homed the red bristlenose ancistrus and the pearl gouramis, so the only possible predators left in that tank are 6 cardinal tetras.  Will just have to wait and see if any fry emerge.  Otherwise, that tank is pretty quiet.

The A. sp. Pebas ‘morado’ appear to have eggs as well.  The female is in breeding colors and sometimes a little aggressive toward male.  Cannot see eggs or fry, not even certain where they might be.  Somebody did some prodigious pit-digging in back of tank, but I’ve seen female go into cave on other side of tank.  Never seen my apistos dig like that; it’s very reminiscent of the bigger Central American cichlids I used to keep.  Interesting stuff, will keep you posted.

The 29 is also puzzling me.  The male A. bitaeniata ‘Rio Napo’ was being horrible to the female after the pair of pearl gouramis were removed.  She was in hiding constantly, to the point where I would only see her once every couple of days.  I had to add some fish there and it appears to have helped.  She is out more now, and looking a little skinnier, so maybe eggs were laid.  This pair seems very secretive, so even harder to judge what is happening in the tank.

For dither/target fish in that tank, I added some fish from PetSmart in Leominster, MA.  The prices were great, fish looked and acted healthy.  I got 10 black neon tetras and a pair of 2″ algae eaters.  They were sold as Flying Foxes, but they are really Siamese Algae Eaters (SAE).  They will get much bigger, and I may have to move one to another tank eventually if aggression occurs, but for now, I think they are just right.  The black neons were $1 each, and the SAE just over $2 each.  Great deals!

More importantly, picked up 2 more 20L while I was there.  That bring my tank total to 7, and there it shall remain until I move.  One tank will be for the pair of A. hongsloi ‘rostrich’.  The female will be here on Thursday, along with a pair of orange A. cacatuoides (Czech-bred also) and 14 Loreto tetras to split between a 20L and a 10G.  After that, might add a few Otocinclus in some tanks, but am pretty much done.  One 20L will be reserved for raising fry, should any make it far enough along.

Also took a road trip yesterday to Ken’s Fish in Taunton, MA.  I’ve ordered online from Ken’s in the past, but wanted to save on shipping charges on frozen foods.  He has a big warehouse operation with anything an aquarist might want.  Great deals on foods as well.  Nice guy, Ken gave me a sample of a new veggie food that my SAEs seem to really like.  I also bought 1/2 pound of Ken’s Earthworm flake.  So far, fish aren’t wild about it, but they’ve never been big flake eaters anyway.  With a whole half pound, I hope they learn to like it soon!

That’s enough for today.  I will close with some new pictures.  Enjoy, and please feel free to comment or like my blog if the mood strikes you!  Thanks, and have a great day,   Mark

Female Apistogramma borelli ‘blue’ with fry

Still having trouble getting a clean shot of the male Apistogramma sp. Pebas ‘morado’

Here is a fair picture of the female A. sp. Pebas ‘morado’ in breeding dress

Tough to get good shots of the Black Neon Tetras, but this will do

Best SAE shot yet.

News from the tanks

Hi anybody!  Just a quick update today for any who might be reading.

The Apistogramma agassizi are still breeding like rabbits in the 30L.  I THINK all 3 females are currently guarding eggs.  Am hoping to re-home the red bristlenose ancistrus in both that tank and the 20L this weekend, to reduce egg predation.  Also, the 3 pearl gouramis find new homes today.  They are pigs and can be bullies toward my little female apistos, and they are not yet half grown.  Was a bad choice, but eventually I will get these tanks settled in a way that helps the apistos breed and raise young.

The 20L is quiet.  The addition of the Apistogramma sp. Pebas ‘morado’ has gone pretty well.  The male shows some aggression toward female, but she is tough, and has a couple of advantageous feeding/hiding places.  These fish are pretty, and will likely get nicer as they mature.  Will include a poor pic or two of male.  I can’t get shot of female, as she isn’t often out front and visible, as he chases her away (particularly at feeding time).  It’s a territorial issue at this point, but not severe (knock on wood).

The Apistogramma bitaeniata ‘Rio Napo’ are just fine.  Female getting fat again.  I suspect she has laid eggs once already, but no sign of fry, breeding coloration or brood behaviors.  She just got “skinnier” at one point.  Here’s hoping.  I like these fish; they are very calm and serene, even when feeding (trying to compete with the pearl gourami pair).  I think the gouramis may be distracting them from breeding, but can’t be sure.

The lone male Apistogramma hongsloi ‘Rostrich’ seems to have adapted well to the 10G, for now.  Will be introducing a new female around end of the month.  Have a divider ready, just in case.  Not sure if I will try to keep them in the 10G or move them into newer 20L when ready.  Am thinking the latter, as I may get a pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides for the 10G.  Not sure yet, will have to see what Ted Judy has available after his collecting trip to Iquitos, Peru.

Biggest news is the Apistogramma borelli have laid eggs!  These tiny fish (less than an inch), are ones I got from Ted that were ordered from the Czech Republic.  Am very hopefu; that they will be good parents and I can raise some fry with the parents in the 10G.  Seems possible.  Right now the female is colored up and guarding small flower pot.  Cool stuff!

That’s it for now, have one more tank to clean this weekend (the 10G with borellis).  Will try to get some new pics of the borellis in particular posted soon.  Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment or like if you are enjoying my blog!

Have a great day,  Mark

Poor pic of Apistogramma sp. Pebas ‘morado’

Another not-so-great photo of male Apistogramma sp. Pebas ‘morado’

The New Plan…more changes to come…and new pictures!

I have come to some conclusions over the last several days.  These fall under the category of “oooopppsssss”.   Things I should have listened to/known already.  Firstly, the pearl gouramis must go.  They have been trouble since day 1, when they harassed one of their own to death, and I didn’t catch it in time.  The one in the 30L (with the fin nipped off) was in the same situation, but I rescued him in time.  Now, he in turn is becoming a bully and a pig at feeding time.  He chases the much smaller Apistogramma agassizi females, sometimes the male that nipped his fin off and the bristlenose ancistrus.  To make matters worse, they are only half-grown.  I think their presence in the 29 is distracting the Apistogramma bitaeniata ‘Rio Napo’ from spawning, but I could be wrong.  Be better off with some peaceful pencilfish and some Otocinclus for the algae that is building up in that tank.

Speaking of algae, I believe the bristlenose ancistrus are eating Apisto eggs and possibly even fry.  They are also dirty fish…lots of poop.  So, I am going to try to re-home them as well.  I should have known these things, but at the time, raising fry was not important to me.  I still don’t have the capability or space to raise many, but I feel badly for the females who keep laying eggs and having fry hatch, with nothing to show for it.  Plus my tanks will be cleaner for my Apistos.

Next point…the female agassizi that had fry had maintained her brood coloration, but I haven’t seen any fry for a couple/few days.  She had them well hidden where I couldn’t readily see them, but I’m not sure there are any left.  She was the female on the right of tank.  Now, the female on the left of tank (the smallest female) is guarding eggs in her cave.  The largest female (who used to be my favorite until she ate her eggs and/or young) is twice her size and getting awfully curious (or hungry).  I have gotten a few more shots of them “squaring off” as the little girl on the left protects her cave.  Maybe some fry will make it this time.  I have tank dividers on the way, so that will likely help.

The male Apistogramma hongsloi ‘rostrich’ will have to wait a few weeks for another mate.  Ted Judy (who I ordered the original pair from) has set aside a female for me when he returns from a collecting trip in Iquitos, Peru.  Can’t wait to see what he sends back, but not sure I will have tank space left by then…lol.

I found a VERY nice pair of fish yesterday, and ordered them today.  I will include pictures once they get here and get settled in.  They are Apistogramma sp. ‘Pebas morado’, which are very rarely seen.  The males are truly spectacular with lots of blues and purples. These are wild-caught fish from Peru, and I am quite excited to be getting a pair.  They should arrive by Friday.

That means….lol…musical fish tanks.  The hongsloi goes into the 10G for now, which means I have to get that ready.  The ‘Pebas morado’ will go into the 20L.  Then I can continue cleaning the other 20L to make it ready for the Hopefully Happy Hongsloi couple-to-be (with tank divider firmly in place until they show they can play nice).

With luck, the gouramis and bristlenose will be re-homed quickly, and I can get some pencilfish and otos for the various tanks.  Then I should be done…lol.  Hoping to get some fry out of the wild fish in particular.  That would be awesome, especially if I can manage to raise some to a saleable size.  Would be nice to be able to share some of these fish with other enthusiasts.

Oh, almost forgot.  I have mentioned Aquabid before (www.aquabid.com), but one seller in particular deserves special mention.  He’s a great guy and he sells lots of good stuff at reasonable prices.  I have bought foam filters (very nice), brine shrimp eggs, and Indian almond leaves from him.  The Indian almond leaves are magic for lowering pH and adding some tannins to water.  His name is Paul and he goes by the Aquabid name of Fishguy_1955.  He also has a Facebook page called Paul TheFishguy.  Give him a visit and see what he’s got to offer !

For now, I will leave you with some new photos.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!  Mark

Best picture yet of the Apistogramma hongsloi ‘rostrich’ male!

The littlest female agassizi in brood coloration

A few shots of female agassizis sizing each other up.  Unlike the males, there is never any damage done in these battles.  But they sure LOOK mean!