Aggassizi trio

[Brown Water]

have a pair of A. aggassizi dbl reds in a 65 gal. my question is should i get another female for my male? they have spawned 2 times in the last month with no success of the male fertilizing the eggs. current stock list, 8 md angels (to be one pair left in the tank other pairs are gonna be moved) 5 cardinal tetras, trio of swordtails, and a pair of ancistrus sp.

was thinking it might increase my chances of successful spawns (get the male to stop being stupid and lazy) but dont know what i should do. thanks in advance for any thoughts

 

[Linus_Cello]

I would move the agassizi to another tank by themselves, 10 to 15 gallons (cue M's matra "A community tank is not a breeding tank"). Even if the male fertilzes the eggs, the tetras, swordtails and angels would like make a quick meal of the fry.

Also, maybe feed blackworms: that will help get them in breeding condition.

(Where did you get these agassizi from: Tropical Isle in Framingham? Where in Sudbury are you? My parents live in Sudbury, but on the border of Wayland.)

 

[Brown Water]

If I moved them to a different tank it would be the toilet. They are in there for a reason. They are too common to breed and sell. I can get them to breed just about every two weeks. Personally like brine better then bloodworms or black worms. Just was hoping someone could straight forward answer my questing with a simple yes or no instead of telling me what they think I'm doing wrong.

And tropic isle has gone down hill so much in the last 5 years, I wont even buy fish from there.. Last time they got freshwater inissa 6/19. Almost 2 months ago. The owner is a pos to IMO. Ask him an question and he mumbles incohearant non sence to you. And to top it all off, the staff treats you like an idiot. Every time.

Ex: just broke in a tank over the last month, with in 1 week I had it fully stocked. Went to TI because I saw they had some tr cardinals. Got six of em, girl that helped me, overheard a convosation I was having down another isle and had some comment to say about issuing them to "break in" the tank. I abruptly, and rudely told her to go get me sword tails (that my fiancé had to have) and dont worry about them. She was right tho. I really shouldent of used them to cycle the tank. I still have all but one guess loosening one to some unrelated problem to a tank cycle is a BIG beginners mistake.

 

[Mike Wise]

Personally, I see no reason to add another female to your community tank. The results will most likely be the same. If you like your aggies, why not get another male? It certainly will add interest to the tank. Just remember, if you add more cichlids to the tank, territories will be put in flux. It would be best to re-arrange the decor/territorial boundaries, so every fish has an equal chance to establish a territory.

 

[Brown Water]

Ok thanks. Was hopeing to see what they would do in nature if they liked being in trios in nature. Not looking to spruce up the look of the tank, just wanna watch what their behavior would be like in a natural environment I guess.

 

[Mike Wise]

You must realize that even in a large aquarium our fish are much more densely concentrated than in the wild.

 

[Brown Water]

Ok. What does that have to do with behavior? Still gonna act the same.

 

[Mike Wise]

Not true. Almost all animals when crowded become stressed and behave completely different from those not crowded. Rodent breeders know that overcrowding animals leads to antisocial behavior - including cannibalism. Apistos in the wild (see some of Römer's excellent works) tend to be social during dry seasons, when little breeding occurs. During the wet season the areas suitable for breeding expand exponentially. I don't know for sure, but I would bet that each male will have a territorial area of several square meters/yards and thousands of gallons in volume. Each female in his territory probably has a territory several times larger than your tank, and other fish only pass through it but don't stay for long.

 

[Brown Water]

Huh. Thanks for the info. Makes sense. Didn't think that they would have that much area in their terroritorys. Will just keep a pair then