Hi everyone. I am hoping to get some advice regarding my Agassiz cichlids and figured here would be the best place.
I have a 36x15x21 (lxdxh in inches) community aquarium with 4 corys, one pit bull plec, 6 forktail blue eyes and two male guppies. My original plan had been to add as final fish two keyhole cichlids, but I got drooling over the White seam agassiz apisto's my LFS had in stock and ended up coming home with them instead. I know that's a fatal error, but I did do some research on dwarf cichlids first and had considered cockatoos but in the end decided against. When it came to it though I was smitten. Cest la vie!
I have had fish before some years ago but never cichlids, and this tank has been running for 6 months.
My water is a mix of RO and treated tap, pH 7 medium hardness. Weekly 15% water changes and test results all good.
Three days after bringing the pair home she went all yellow, and then later that day I saw eggs and she had become a *****, chasing everyone away from the leaf she had chosen. I was surprised but pleased. However since then she has been beating up the male and he now spends most of his time cowering in the opposite corner, with her coming round every couple of minutes to beat him up again.
The eggs were gone the second day (no surprise I guess). She is still in her yellow breeding colours tho.
My questions relate to her behaviour. Will she start to leave him alone? Is there a risk she could kill him? Wll things settle again now the eggs are gone? How often can/will she lay eggs (assuming she can get him in the mood again, no easy task given how mean she is being).
Any suggestions as to ways to settle things down appreciated. I can find very little info on Agassiz online or in my cichlid books. Is the white seam variety a manmade or natural variation? I have assumed manmade (and therefore prob frowned upon here) but I have to say he is a very handsome fish.
Thanks for reading (and your help if you can!)
I have a 36x15x21 (lxdxh in inches) community aquarium with 4 corys, one pit bull plec, 6 forktail blue eyes and two male guppies. My original plan had been to add as final fish two keyhole cichlids, but I got drooling over the White seam agassiz apisto's my LFS had in stock and ended up coming home with them instead. I know that's a fatal error, but I did do some research on dwarf cichlids first and had considered cockatoos but in the end decided against. When it came to it though I was smitten. Cest la vie!
I have had fish before some years ago but never cichlids, and this tank has been running for 6 months.
My water is a mix of RO and treated tap, pH 7 medium hardness. Weekly 15% water changes and test results all good.
Three days after bringing the pair home she went all yellow, and then later that day I saw eggs and she had become a *****, chasing everyone away from the leaf she had chosen. I was surprised but pleased. However since then she has been beating up the male and he now spends most of his time cowering in the opposite corner, with her coming round every couple of minutes to beat him up again.
The eggs were gone the second day (no surprise I guess). She is still in her yellow breeding colours tho.
My questions relate to her behaviour. Will she start to leave him alone? Is there a risk she could kill him? Wll things settle again now the eggs are gone? How often can/will she lay eggs (assuming she can get him in the mood again, no easy task given how mean she is being).
Any suggestions as to ways to settle things down appreciated. I can find very little info on Agassiz online or in my cichlid books. Is the white seam variety a manmade or natural variation? I have assumed manmade (and therefore prob frowned upon here) but I have to say he is a very handsome fish.
Thanks for reading (and your help if you can!)