apistogramma agassizii // Females keep dying!

[rdfs87]

Hi,

I bought a pair of apistogramma agassizii from my LFS.
The female died a few days after.

I then waited a few buying 2 new ones, just to be sure, there wasnt any illnes in the aquarium.
Yesterday i lost yet another one. The last female looked fine, and happy i was!

Today i came home to see the last one hiding, in one of the PVC tubes, and she wont show herself..
Even when feeding!

They looked very young (judging from the size). And im afraid the male is the reason.

Any suggestions on what i can do, to try and safe the last one of them?
If they keep dying, i see no other choice than to sell the male and try again from beginning!

Hope any of you, can give any advice (though i dont know what that might be, as the whole situation seems pretty confusing)!

Cheers, and have a nice christmas!

(attached pictures of both male and female hiding in the PVC tube (25mm diameter) to give you an impression of the size of the female!)

 

[slimbolen99]

When adding new apistos to an environment where there are already apistos, it is important to rearrange the tank entirely; as territories have already been established, and the new fish will not know where those territories are; thus the aggression.

I like to move the old fish to a separate container, completely redo their tank, and then add the new inhabitants and old inhabitants all at once.

 

[rdfs87]

Thanks for the quick reply!
The female just showed herself, and she didnt look in such good condition.
Although, they are hiding in each end of the aquarium.

So, as i dont have another aquarium, would it be okay to put the male, in a tupperwarebox or something similar, and then redo the aquarium?

I have a spare aquarium in the basement.. Maybe i could put the filter and water in that one, redo the aquarium, and put the fish back in the old one after "rescaping".. Would that be okay?

 

[rdfs87]

Edit:
Im new in this game, so if some these things seems obvious. Please bare with me!

 

[gerald]

Another option is to put a divider screen in the tank (needlepoint screen from a craft store will work) and give the new female a few weeks to settle in and gain some strength before letting them together. Remove the screen when you have some time to sit back an watch the tank for 20 min or so, just in case you need to intervene again.

 

[Apistomaster]

It is not unsual for newly purchased dwarf Cichlids to be in poor condition.
All along the males dominate the females which exacerbates their problems as they make their way through the sales and distribution system.
All new fish should be quarantined and it is a good idea to segregate the sexes until they are in good condition.
I also use a divider like Gerald described.
Even then, it is a good idea to pay close attention to how the females are faring once the opposite sexes have been combined.
I even use a box of hollow ceramic filter media when I am raising fry because male to female aggression begins long before the fry may be sexed. These help me end up with more evenly balance proportions of sexes. When I don't provide these small hides early I often end up with and excess of males.

 

[rdfs87]

Thanks a lot for the advices soo far!

It tricked me, that they looked in good conditions, and seemed to thrive in the aquarium when i first put them there.
The first one died after 6 days, and it went pretty quick...
Would it be an idea, to buy some gravel for my spare aquarium, and then take 50% of the water from the current aquarium and put into the spare one with a filter.
Would this work, or should the "new" aquarium run a couple of weeks first?

Im starting to panic here, as the fish are somehow expensive in my LFS - and i really want this to work out!

 

[gerald]

Oh yes absolutely, setting up more tanks is ALWAYS the best solution! |:>) Also move some of the surface sand and filter media from the old tank to the new tank. Your nitrifying bacteria are mostly stuck on surfaces, not floating around in the water.

 

[Apistomaster]

I would consider segregating the sexes in quarantine tanks and simultaneously treating them with metroniadazole, flubendazole and praziquantel(HIKARI PraziPro). Also feed them primarily newly hatched brine shrimp.
I have used this combination of drugs on all new wild Discus, expensive Plecos and Apistogramma. Tank raised fish are usually in better condition but aren't harmed by this prophylactic treatment. TR fish may get exposed to diseases when kept with wild fish at sellers' establishments. I have never lost a fish to this combination of drugs. I think it is better to treat new fish routinely rather than waiting for any symptoms to show up. By the time one can see that the fish are obviously sick it is much harder to cure them.
I have bred wild Discus, Apistos and Plecos which went through this treatment. I usually treat for 4 weeks but recommend no less than two weeks.
I second Gerald's advice to ensure the quarantine or any new tank is seeded and completely cycled prior to adding expensive new fish.

 

[rdfs87]

Hey Guys,
Just to sum up things!
I lost both females, and have given the male away, to a great new home!

Treating the fish with medics is not a possibility, as the authorities, have forbidden every single LFS to sell the medics.
The only possibility to TRY and fight the deseases is with salt... Nothing else.
Although, buying stuff from the internet, might not always get caught in the customs, so i might try and follow your advice Larry.

So now, i am back to where i began!

This time I want to keep Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi i think!
So, i bought a new tank (30G), starting from scratch on a Amazon Black Water Biotope.

 

[Cooder]

If i were you i would try my hardest to figure out why they are dieing before getting new fish again, new fish doesnt solve the problem. IF all is fine in your tank, it sounds like it could be the male.... seperation would be the best.

 

[rdfs87]

Cooder:
No other fish in the tank have died since!
They thrive at best!
I think I made the mistake, and didnt keep the females in a seperate tank, getting them in better condition, before letting them in the tank.. I feel stupid :-/
Of cause I wouldnt get new fish, if I suspected something was wrong besides the females being in poor condition (i found out later)! Thanks to this forum (you guys), im getting new knowledge, that not even the LFS could inform me!

So, thank you guys!

 

[Mike Wise]

If you decide to add more females, I suggest that you remove the male for a few days while the female get used to the tank. Then re-introduce the male to the tank.

 

[rdfs87]

Yeah, now i know next time!

I dont have the male anymore!
A guy who wanted the exact fish i had, came by and picked the little devil
Now i have to decide what to put in my newly started black water biotope... Tough choice...