A. macmasteri female and breeding tips

[Eddiekay1010]

Hi, I've raised up a group of F1 macmasteri from fry and they are now a little over a year old. First time keeping this species, and was hoping for a little advice on breeding them. There are 3 in the group, and I believe I have a reverse trio, but not sure, worried that I may have 3 males, mainly due to the fact that the size difference between the dominant male and the suspected female isn't as drastic as I have come to expect with most Apistos. Another reason for my doubts is the fact that they have not spawned yet, but maybe there's a issue with my water parameters.
Temp-82
pH-6.77
GH-2
KH-1
Conductivity-68
50% weekly water changes with RODI, 90% RODI/ 10% waste water mix
Foods- frozen mysis shrimp, frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, live baby brine shrimp, flakes, bug bites, and also feed live blackworms when available
Confirmation on whether I have a female and any tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks so much!

 

[Hapisto]

Hello,
First attachment show a female.

Maybe lower your pH ?

Does she has a place to hide ?

 

[MacZ]

Maybe lower your pH ?

Npt really necessary with the other readings. A. macmasteri is not a blackwater species. This here is either down to the environment or the sex ratio, but not due to water or feeding.

A picture of the whole tank would be helpful, as well as tank dimensions and a list other species (if there are any) in the tank.

But some general advice not connected to the fish not breeding:

10% waste water mix

Stop doing that. You are re-adding concentrated ions of all kinds. Depending on your source water's ion composition you could be slowly poisoning your fish. If you have to cut your water for some reason, use normal tap, but never the RO-wastewater.

frozen bloodworms

I'd scratch those from the menu without replacement. You feed an otherwise healthy mix of foods, the problems possibly caused by bloodworms are generally well known by now.

 

[anewbie]

82 seems a bit warm for this species.

 

[MacZ]

82 seems a bit warm for this species.

Higher end but still ok. Especially for WC and F1-3.

 

[Eddiekay1010]

Hello,
First attachment show a female.

Maybe lower your pH ?

Does she has a place to hide ?

Hello,
First attachment show a female.

Maybe lower your pH ?

Does she has a place to hide ?

Thanks for the confirmation, I was 99% sure on the sex, but just wanted some of your opinions. Yes, there are two ceramic apisto caves and a coconut shell. I'll send pics of the tank when I get home today.

 

[Eddiekay1010]

Npt really necessary with the other readings. A. macmasteri is not a blackwater species. This here is either down to the environment or the sex ratio, but not due to water or feeding.

A picture of the whole tank would be helpful, as well as tank dimensions and a list other species (if there are any) in the tank.

But some general advice not connected to the fish not breeding:

Stop doing that. You are re-adding concentrated ions of all kinds. Depending on your source water's ion composition you could be slowly poisoning your fish. If you have to cut your water for some reason, use normal tap, but never the RO-wastewater.


I'd scratch those from the menu without replacement. You feed an otherwise healthy mix of foods, the problems possibly caused by bloodworms are generally well known by now.

Thanks so much for the info, I'll send a pic of the tank when I get home. They are housed in a standard 10gal tank, with multiple caves, driftwood, plants and the only occupants are a few pygmy cory cats and a few Nannostomus marginatus. Wow, I didn't know that about the waste water, the whole RO water thing confuses me, it would be better to just use straight RODI? Also, thanks for the info on the bloodworms, I don't feed them often, but I do worry that they can be harmful.

 

[MacZ]

Thanks so much for the info, I'll send a pic of the tank when I get home. They are housed in a standard 10gal tank, with multiple caves, driftwood, plants and the only occupants are a few pygmy cory cats and a few Nannostomus marginatus. Wow, I didn't know that about the waste water, the whole RO water thing confuses me, it would be better to just use straight RODI? Also, thanks for the info on the bloodworms, I don't feed them often, but I do worry that they can be harmful.

Yeah well, I think there are your answers already. You have three specimens of a quite big species of Apisto in a small tank and you have another species of bottomdweller in it. Already two red flags. Only caves or is there structure allowing the fish to evade each other without getting into a cave? They spawn in caves but they prefer to hide under or behind driftwood where they have options to escape. Caves also mean potential predators. The Corydoras don't get the concept of a territory, so they will always move over the turf of the Apistos.
And then the ratio of sexes. Maybe remove one of the clear males and have yet another tank ready because once the female has spawned it's very likely she will ko more tolerate the male.

Yeah straight RO will be best. Are we actually talking with DI? Because De-ionizer stage is not standard.

 

[Eddiekay1010]

Yeah well, I think there are your answers already. You have three specimens of a quite big species of Apisto in a small tank and you have another species of bottomdweller in it. Already two red flags. Only caves or is there structure allowing the fish to evade each other without getting into a cave? They spawn in caves but they prefer to hide under or behind driftwood where they have options to escape. Caves also mean potential predators. The Corydoras don't get the concept of a territory, so they will always move over the turf of the Apistos.
And then the ratio of sexes. Maybe remove one of the clear males and have yet another tank ready because once the female has spawned it's very likely she will ko more tolerate the male.

Yeah straight RO will be best. Are we actually talking with DI? Because De-ionizer stage is not standard.

Thanks so much for the info, I will move the extra male out, there's lots and lots of hiding areas with driftwood and live plants, floating hornwort also. Yes, there is a de-ionizer stage, I also keep a reef tank, that's the reason I have a four stage unit. Because of the de-ionizer, I thought that I needed to mix it with a little regular water(I didnt know the waste water was so bad). I hear people talk about re mineralization for their rodi water, and it always kind of confused me, why would I go through all the trouble of making this water only to put minerals back in and raise the conductivity.
Thanks again!!

 

[MacZ]

Thanks so much for the info, I will move the extra male out, there's lots and lots of hiding areas with driftwood and live plants, floating hornwort also.

Good.

Yes, there is a de-ionizer stage, I also keep a reef tank, that's the reason I have a four stage unit. Because of the de-ionizer, I thought that I needed to mix it with a little regular water(I didnt know the waste water was so bad). I hear people talk about re mineralization for their rodi water, and it always kind of confused me, why would I go through all the trouble of making this water only to put minerals back in and raise the conductivity.

The people talking about remineralization are the scapers and plant guys, not the biotope freaks. Biotopers just add humic substances (aka "tannins"), lots of botanicals and leaf litter and maaaaaybeeeee a few milliliters of liquid fertilizer so the plants don't die off and that's it.
If you look at the water parameters of the origin regions of Apistogramma conductivity rarely exceeds 50µS/cm, even in clearwater, the best approximation in captivity is 40-80µS/cm and with the DI you have the best chance of getting down to below 50.
I personally have a more or less blackwater display (not breeding) tank with Dicrossus, the conductivity is at about 60µS/cm, but I also don't have a DI stage.

 

[Eddiekay1010]

Good.


The people talking about remineralization are the scapers and plant guys, not the biotope freaks. Biotopers just add humic substances (aka "tannins"), lots of botanicals and leaf litter and maaaaaybeeeee a few milliliters of liquid fertilizer so the plants don't die off and that's it.
If you look at the water parameters of the origin regions of Apistogramma conductivity rarely exceeds 50µS/cm, even in clearwater, the best approximation in captivity is 40-80µS/cm and with the DI you have the best chance of getting down to below 50.
I personally have a more or less blackwater display (not breeding) tank with Dicrossus, the conductivity is at about 60µS/cm, but I also don't have a DI stage.

Ah, yes, I do mostly hear the remineralazion talk from the plant guys! I did forget to mention, I also add botanicals to most of my soft water tanks, nothing too much though, a Catappa leaf and or some alder cones is about all I add.

 

[Eddiekay1010]

Good.


The people talking about remineralization are the scapers and plant guys, not the biotope freaks. Biotopers just add humic substances (aka "tannins"), lots of botanicals and leaf litter and maaaaaybeeeee a few milliliters of liquid fertilizer so the plants don't die off and that's it.
If you look at the water parameters of the origin regions of Apistogramma conductivity rarely exceeds 50µS/cm, even in clearwater, the best approximation in captivity is 40-80µS/cm and with the DI you have the best chance of getting down to below 50.
I personally have a more or less blackwater display (not breeding) tank with Dicrossus, the conductivity is at about 60µS/cm, but I also don't have a DI stage.

Oh, and Dicrossus are one of my favorites, kept a group for a few years, got a number of spawns but the eggs never lasted more than a day. I will work with them again in the future for sure! Do you happen to know what they're life spans are, I didn't change any thing in their tank, but after year 3 or so, started to lose them one by one over the course of that year.

 

[MacZ]

You can add A LOT of botanicals. Though not all at once, of course.

 

[MacZ]

Oh, and Dicrossus are one of my favorites, kept a group for a few years, got a number of spawns but the eggs never lasted more than a day. I will work with them again in the future for sure! Do you happen to know what they're life spans are, I didn't change any thing in their tank, but after year 3 or so, started to lose them one by one over the course of that year.

My oldest specimen was almost 2 years with me, never heard of one exceeding 3 and a half. I have a couple of youngsters right now. Or rather, an adult female and a very young male. Never even tried to breed them, not into breeding in my own tanks anymore.

 

[Eddiekay1010]

View attachment 13675
You can add A LOT. Though not all at once, of course.

Beautiful, love the water lillies, amazing!!

 

[Eddiekay1010]

My oldest specimen was almost 2 years with me, never heard of one exceeding 3 and a half. I have a couple of youngsters right now. Or rather, an adult female and a very young male. Never even tried to breed them, not into breeding in my own tanks anymore.

I have to look into my notes, I'm sure my group was over 2 years, maybe not 3 though. Makes me feel a little better, I thought I did something wrong with in the end.

 

[MacZ]

I have to look into my notes, I'm sure my group was over 2 years, maybe not 3 though. Makes me feel a little better, I thought I did something wrong with in the end.

Most dwarf cichlids reach a year at best in the wild. Wild caught or low number F-Generations reach 2-4 in captivity, domestic breeds rarely crack the 2 year mark. So if you managed to have them thriving for more than a full year you can say you did good.

 

[MacZ]

Beautiful, love the water lillies, amazing!!

The only plants planted in the substrate. 2 of them. And that's it. Rest are floaters and 4 giant pothos.

 

[Eddiekay1010]

Most dwarf cichlids reach a year at best in the wild. Wild caught or low number F-Generations reach 2-4 in captivity, domestic breeds rarely crack the 2 year mark. So if you managed to have them thriving for more than a full year you can say you did good.

Great information, thank you!!