Breeding question

[SplatoonSamus]

I have a 20gal long with lots of hardscape and plants and a 2.5gal that is not set up yet that I am going to stock with an Apistogramma Trifasciata, and I'm not sure I want to get one or two and breed them. My main questions with breeding are: Will I need another tank? If so, will the 2.5 gallon work? Also, how long would it take the fry to be mature enough to sell.

 

[MacZ]

Wait... 2.5 gallon ? Two point five? That is too small for any cichlid. You can house a handful of 1cm fry maybe for a week or two in it if you do daily waterchanges. If you meant you were going to put the adults in it, please don't, because this will end really badly, then. Even for a single fish. They need space. 40x30cm footprint is the bare minimum for an adult Apistogramma in my opinion. Longterm 60x30 footprint would be optimal.

Depending on the conditions (tank size, water parameters including temperature, feeding, waterchange regimen) it takes up to 5 months for fry to reach sale size (ca. 4cm).
In a 100 liter tank, 3 good feedings with live food a day, soft water, 24-25°C and a 50% waterchange every second to third day they can be ready in 3 months (no guarantees here). If any of these factors is subpar this will prolong the timespan and may also produce more runts than one might desire.

You have somebody who will take them off your hands? Unless you have a retailer taking them in bulk fixed up beforehand it may take weeks to sell them away one by one in which time you will still have to house them properly and they will need more and more tankspace the longer it takes.

 

[rasmusW]

I think a 20 gal, might be on the smaller side of what I would keep trifasciata in. They got a pretty bad reputation for aggression.
Yes, you would need a second tank for rearing the fry, once they get too big for their main tank. Plus the parents could see them as a threat.
It could also be that you would have to separate the parents after spawn.
So if you are in doubt, go with one fish.
2,5 gal also sounds too small for fry growout.

Didn’t mean to discourage you, its just what I have read on this board and experienced myself, though I only kept “tris” for a brief period when I started venturing into this rabbithole.

-r

 

[SplatoonSamus]

ok, I will probably get a male of a different species only and put some tetra or pencilfish.

 

[anewbie]

You could get a solo male trifasciata if you like them; the aggression mentioned above has more to do with m/f interspecies aggression.

 

[Ben Rhau]

Here are things I've used my 2.5 gallon for:

• Breeding pairs of small fish, like many killifish or parosphromenus. They go back to the larger tank after spawning, however.
• Medication, recovery, or separation of small fish (less than 2" in size).
• Inverts (asellus, shrimp, or blackworms)

 

[SplatoonSamus]

or would a bitaentina be better

 

[rasmusW]

or would a bitaentina be better

I have kept bitaeniata in a 75 liter/20 gal tank. Not to say its perfect but It’s doable, but as with all apistogramma, make sure to have plenty of hiding places and sight barriers.

Here’s a picture of that tank

-r

 

[SplatoonSamus]

I see another type of fish or the bitaentina in there with them or is it not there anymore

 

[MacZ]

There are no cichlids visible in the picture, but you can see some N. marginatus and Otocinclus sp.

 

[rasmusW]

There are no cichlids visible in the picture, but you can see some N. marginatus and Otocinclus sp.

Correct. They shared the tank with a couple of otos and maybe 5 marginatus.

-I probably wouldn’t add more dither fish than that in such a tanksize.

And no I don’t have them anymore.

-r