Ap Borellii Breeding Advice (Experts Needed)

[Borelliiguy]

Hey guys

This is my first post but I've been reading through threads here for a couple of weeks. I have a trio of Ap Borellii and have just come off a week long feed of frozen bloodworm. The male has been courting both females one being more receptive than the next.

The females have divided the tank in two two territories and until a few days ago one would not cross into the others territory and if they did, would retreat when challenged. There is/was a more dominant female (A) who is also the most receptive to the males flaring and appears more brighter in color. However in the past two days the less dominant female (B) seems to have grown jealous of the others color and has started to invade the others territory.

My water params are ph 7.5 and my kh is unknown but I do live in a hard water area but take comfort that others in my city with the same params have had success in breeding apistos. The trio are in a community tank and are the most dominant species in there. Other stocking: Rummynose tetras, dwarf neon rainbows, 2 honey gourami.

Any tips or advice you could give me here would be appreciated. I plan to document the entire thing with pics and a vid and post those here.

 

[sasikan]

hi not a expert, but i think it would help if they were in a tank by them self (the 3 A, borelii) how big is the tank?

 

[Borelliiguy]

50 gal tank

 

[Big G]

As Sasikan says, if you are looking to breed them, get tehm into their own tank. If not, then what exactly is your question? Is it how do you stop the 'lesser' female from infiltrating the 'dominant' females territory?

I would leave them be (assuming breeding is not what you are looking to do) and keep an eye on the females to see whether they are causing each other (or the male) harm. Only then would I intervene.

If you are looking to breed them, then I'm pretty sure that lowering your pH will help a lot. I'd aim to slowly reduce it to pH6.2 and see what happens? They may need even lower than that, but I've never bred or owned Borelli. Just to ask, is your pH reading from the tank, or from the tap water? I would add some peat to your filter to help reduce the pH. You can goolge this for how to do it.

Maybe the experts will disagree and have other advice, but thats what I would try?

Regards
G!

 

[Mike Wise]

Your females are behaving normally. If it really bothers you, then add more decor to make definite boundaries where the females can't see each other.

 

[Borelliiguy]

The females are fine it was more of an observation. Though I guess I should ask some specific questions, for instance...

What temp should I keep the apistos at to aid in breeding?

If feeding them live bloodworms should I feed them once or twice a day? If twice should I adjust break my light cycle feed them early in the morning, switch lights back off (cant keep my t5's on as I have a planted tank) and then feed them again during the normal 7 hour photo period?

How long should I feed them live food for before I call it a day, one week, two?

 

[Mike Wise]

A breeding temperature around 26°/79°F, according to Römer & Beisenherz, should produce 50:50 ratio of males:females. A. borellii doesn't need this high temperature for normal maintenance, however. Personally, I would put the trio in a properly decorated breeding tank (24x12"/60x30cm) by themselves. You are more likely to be successful with their reproduction. Just treat them like any other apisto. A. borellii is one of the easier species to reproduce.

 

[Apistomaster]

I usually set up Apistogramma borelli in trios. I have had a trio in a 4.5 gal tank where both females had their own broods.
I don't recommend a tank that small but usually a ten gal is large enough. I usually breed these at 80*F.
One summer I placed a brood of small fry in an un-heated wading pool under my carport in early May along with baby bushy nose plecos. Both were about three weeks free swimming or that long out of the cave.
That water was pretty cold by the first week of September but it looked like the majority of both species fry survived until I brought them indoors. They can handle rather cool water although that does slow down their growth considerably.

Something I have observed in recent years is that if I have fed live black worms to my Apistos and some have colonized the substrate, many females take on their brood colors and stand guard over the red patches of wriggling worm tails.
So I avoid using black worms in Apistogramma breeding tanks now.

 

[Borelliiguy]

!!!spawn!!!

 

[arodg12]

congrats man!