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Tips on breeding Sp Alto Tapiche

Apistolyfe

New Member
Messages
21
hello all I was curious if anyone had information on breeding alto tapiche or any information on their natural habitat. Thank you
 

Colossus

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
13
Hi,
I just got some wild caught and they don't seem to be hard to breed. In 1 month I got 2 fries, small amount of eggs but they spawn easily.
 

Apistolyfe

New Member
Messages
21
Hi,
I just got some wild caught and they don't seem to be hard to breed. In 1 month I got 2 fries, small amount of eggs but they spawn easily.
what were your water parameters
On TomC's site you find a profile of A. sp. Alto Tapiche including a link to a report about collecting them Click here.
wow thank you I see there are many different types. does he have them or how does he have all this information?
 

allentwnguy

Member
Messages
47
I had gotten 5 wild caught Alto Tapiche from a major seller I will no longer do business with. They were beaten up, had open sores etc. I put them into the tank I set up for them then took the two worst looking fish into another tank to try and save the rest. I had one female, I was able to tell because she fired up into breeding dress. The next day I found her dead on the bottom of the tank. The two I separated died and I split the last two. One of those died. I was left with a male in the original tank. A week later the male was looking very yellow and I noticed about 50 fry!!!! I thought wow a sleeper female?!? The following day HE looked like a male again and wanted nothing to do with the fry and with no mother they were filtering to all corners of the tank. The male was put into another tank he died a few days later. That was about a year ago. I think the male and the female that died bred in the first couple of days here. She used her last energy to lay her eggs and died.

I still have about 50 or so and every time I look at the I thank the female for giving her life so I can have these guys. What I've found is that they like extremely low PH. I keep them in water lower than a PH of 5, usually 4.5. I don't think they will breed at a higher PH. I took a trio out of the school and since I've had two small spawns adding about 10 more fish. My apisto's do not like pellets or flake. I feed frozen blood worms, live bbs and live white worms.
 

allentwnguy

Member
Messages
47
I had gotten 5 wild caught Alto Tapiche from a major seller I will no longer do business with. They were beaten up, had open sores etc. I put them into the tank I set up for them then took the two worst looking fish into another tank to try and save the rest. I had one female, I was able to tell because she fired up into breeding dress. The next day I found her dead on the bottom of the tank. The two I separated died and I split the last two. One of those died. I was left with a male in the original tank. A week later the male was looking very yellow and I noticed about 50 fry!!!! I thought wow a sleeper female?!? The following day HE looked like a male again and wanted nothing to do with the fry and with no mother they were filtering to all corners of the tank. The male was put into another tank he died a few days later. That was about a year ago. I think the male and the female that died bred in the first couple of days here. She used her last energy to lay her eggs and died.

I still have about 50 or so and every time I look at the I thank the female for giving her life so I can have these guys. What I've found is that they like extremely low PH. I keep them in water lower than a PH of 5, usually 4.5. I don't think they will breed at a higher PH. I took a trio out of the school and since I've had two small spawns adding about 10 more fish. My apisto's do not like pellets or flake. I feed frozen blood worms, live bbs and live white worms.
 

Apistolyfe

New Member
Messages
21
I had gotten 5 wild caught Alto Tapiche from a major seller I will no longer do business with. They were beaten up, had open sores etc. I put them into the tank I set up for them then took the two worst looking fish into another tank to try and save the rest. I had one female, I was able to tell because she fired up into breeding dress. The next day I found her dead on the bottom of the tank. The two I separated died and I split the last two. One of those died. I was left with a male in the original tank. A week later the male was looking very yellow and I noticed about 50 fry!!!! I thought wow a sleeper female?!? The following day HE looked like a male again and wanted nothing to do with the fry and with no mother they were filtering to all corners of the tank. The male was put into another tank he died a few days later. That was about a year ago. I think the male and the female that died bred in the first couple of days here. She used her last energy to lay her eggs and died.

I still have about 50 or so and every time I look at the I thank the female for giving her life so I can have these guys. What I've found is that they like extremely low PH. I keep them in water lower than a PH of 5, usually 4.5. I don't think they will breed at a higher PH. I took a trio out of the school and since I've had two small spawns adding about 10 more fish. My apisto's do not like pellets or flake. I feed frozen blood worms, live bbs and live white worms.
how do you lower your ph so much?
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,201
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
It take more than proper water values to ensure spawning success. It would help to have more information: food and feedings, tank size and structure, water maintenance, fish other than breeders ...
 

Apistolyfe

New Member
Messages
21
It take more than proper water values to ensure spawning success. It would help to have more information: food and feedings, tank size and structure, water maintenance, fish other than breeders ...
They are in a 10 G really black water tank. ph about 5.6 i have just one coral pencil fish. there are also various almond leaves and some peat residue on the bottom along with 2 spawning caves. I feed frozen brine once or twice a day. I will start feeding repashy spawn and grow today as well. temp around 79F I do water changes about every 5 days with pure RODI water my TDS is about 30 in the tank.

let me know if this helps.


Thanks
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,201
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
I hope you only have a breeding pair in the 10. Still, I think a larger tank will lead to more success. I'd also add variety to their diet so, if they will eat the jell food, it is a good step.
 

Apistolyfe

New Member
Messages
21
I hope you only have a breeding pair in the 10. Still, I think a larger tank will lead to more success. I'd also add variety to their diet so, if they will eat the jell food, it is a good step.
Yes just the pair in there I will continue varying their diet. I’m not sure if the ph needs to be lower or not because they are wild caught
 

Colossus

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
13
Mine are in a 62*45 cm tank.
They bred one week after they arrived in the tank. But I assume the water parameters weren't fine enought, the fry was in small amount.
One thing I noticed, they are quite agressive to each other. The male tried to attack a Crenicichla sp orinoco that was in the tank beside...
 

Apistolyfe

New Member
Messages
21
Mine are in a 62*45 cm tank.
They bred one week after they arrived in the tank. But I assume the water parameters weren't fine enought, the fry was in small amount.
One thing I noticed, they are quite agressive to each other. The male tried to attack a Crenicichla sp orinoco that was in the tank beside...
What were the water parameters and what food did you feed?
 

allentwnguy

Member
Messages
47
how do you lower your ph so much?
I know it is not the most accepted method but I make a diluted solution of RO water and sodium bisulfate (NaHSO₄) 1 gram to 1 liter of water. I use it to drop the PH to the desired #. I also heavily use botanicals.
 

MickeM

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
441
Location
STOCKHOLM , SWEDEN
They are in a 10 G really black water tank. ph about 5.6 i have just one coral pencil fish. there are also various almond leaves and some peat residue on the bottom along with 2 spawning caves. I feed frozen brine once or twice a day. I will start feeding repashy spawn and grow today as well. temp around 79F I do water changes about every 5 days with pure RODI water my TDS is about 30 in the tank.

let me know if this helps.


Thanks
Don´t forget that suddenly adding loads of leaves into a tank ( if made all at once/in a short time of period, ) may then also cause a larger mass of decaying dead biologic materia in your limited amount of water... and then, ofcourse, impacting the tank/"the biological "system" as a whole....
An easy test to do is to feel/touch the leaves with your hands.. If it is very slimy, you may have increased the levels of "bad" bacteria in your tank.. (Which often/normally are present in small amounts anyhow..)
I usually only add a few leaves to my tanks "now and then" .. or prepare them in a bucket with Planorbarius corneus and wash them off before putting them in..

One other thing..
Too many frequent changes of water might also contribute to "non-controllable" /"un-natural" change in behaviors of the fishes..
(stress on females..???.. , males wanting to spawn all the time, while females are not actually ready for it..!!
Large changes of water is not always the "normal" out in the nature.. at least not in all of the biotopes/streams/"quebradas"..?? )

So, sometimes, the crazy idea of patience may be advised... :)


http://apisto.sites.no/page.aspx?pageid=68
 

MickeM

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
441
Location
STOCKHOLM , SWEDEN
They are in a 10 G really black water tank. ph about 5.6 i have just one coral pencil fish. there are also various almond leaves and some peat residue on the bottom along with 2 spawning caves. I feed frozen brine once or twice a day. I will start feeding repashy spawn and grow today as well. temp around 79F I do water changes about every 5 days with pure RODI water my TDS is about 30 in the tank.

let me know if this helps.


Thanks
Don´t forget that suddenly adding loads of leaves into a tank ( if made all at once/in a short time of period, ) may then also cause a larger mass of decaying dead biologic materia in your limited amount of water... and then, ofcourse, impacting the tank/"the biological "system" as a whole....
An easy test to do is to feel/touch the leaves with your hands.. If it is very slimy, you may have increased the levels of "bad" bacteria in your tank.. (Which often/normally are present in small amounts anyhow..)
I usually only add a few leaves to my tanks "now and then" .. or prepare them in a bucket with Planorbarius corneus and wash them off before putting them in..

One other thing..
Too many frequent changes of water might also contribute to "non-controllable" /"un-natural" change in behaviors of the fishes..
(stress on females..???.. , males wanting to spawn all the time, while females are not actually ready for it..!!
Large changes of water is not always the "normal" out in the nature.. at least not in all of the biotopes/streams/"quebradas"..?? )

So, sometimes, the crazy idea of patience may be advised... :)


http://apisto.sites.no/page.aspx?pageid=68
 

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