Always interesting watching parenting

[drudnick]

Every pair of Apistos I ever had breed the female has always raised the babies, while the male is banished to the other side of the tank hiding.

Until now...

I have a wild pair of Inkas and they have spawned. My tank is battling some algae so I couldnt see too well into the back where the mother laid the eggs. She laid them on underside of some driftwood rather than in any of the pots. Because the male was allowed to swim freely I assumed there were no babies, and was ready to wait for the next spawn.

Then yesterday to my surprise I see the mother with a bunch of babies underneath her, and while she is a very protective mother, the father is just as protective. He looks like a cannon being shot anytime another fish even gets close. He is allowed to swim wherever he wants, and the mother does not chase him away. I just watched him stand watch right over the cloud of babies while the mother was eating.

I love watching these little fish breed and raise their young.

 

[Mike Wise]

Not all apistos practice maternal care only. Most species of the nijsseni-group - including A. baenschi - form pairs that jointly guard the fry. Still, the female does most of the guiding of the fry, while the male does much of the defense.

 

[drudnick]

The previous tank raised pair I had the female was a brute to the male when guarding. I like watching this pair much better.