Mrs. Susie
New Member
- Messages
- 19
- Location
- Seattle, WA USA
Hello - I'm somewhat new to having Apistogramma so I will be trying to learn more about people's experience with them, especially A. Macmasteri.
I have just one pair of A. macmasteri that I got a few months ago as juveniles and now mature and recently I put them together in a 20 gal. long, heavily planted with lots of hiding places and 4 little livebearers in there too but they are getting chased so I'm going to remove the 2 valuable ones for their own safety.
The female just in the last few days has gone into a cave and has hardly come out even to eat. I try to drop a live whiteworm in front of her cave so she can grab it.
Probably the water I have isn't soft enough for eggs & fry - it's almost 7.0 ph despite being deep brown tea from so much peat and leaves and bogwood that I can no longer hardly see them (but it did test 0 for nitrates/nitrites/ammonia) So I'm collecting rainwater which we've had a TON of in the last couple of days.
If this female DOES emerge with some babies, I do have live microworms and vinegar eels on hand.
I uploaded photo of the tank but before it turned as brown as it is now and without the stone cave as yet, plus 1 of FEMALE and then MALE taken before I moved them into the blackwater tank where photos aren't coming out well. I've read that the macmasteri like being in a trio also but haven't come across another female locally though I know I could find them mail order.
I did see the two doing that shaking & trembling dance though didn't witness the male going into the cave.
She's in her cave and defensive of it. So, possible babies coming up ? Or do females sometimes 'nest' in the cave without any eggs at all?
I have just one pair of A. macmasteri that I got a few months ago as juveniles and now mature and recently I put them together in a 20 gal. long, heavily planted with lots of hiding places and 4 little livebearers in there too but they are getting chased so I'm going to remove the 2 valuable ones for their own safety.
The female just in the last few days has gone into a cave and has hardly come out even to eat. I try to drop a live whiteworm in front of her cave so she can grab it.
Probably the water I have isn't soft enough for eggs & fry - it's almost 7.0 ph despite being deep brown tea from so much peat and leaves and bogwood that I can no longer hardly see them (but it did test 0 for nitrates/nitrites/ammonia) So I'm collecting rainwater which we've had a TON of in the last couple of days.
If this female DOES emerge with some babies, I do have live microworms and vinegar eels on hand.
I uploaded photo of the tank but before it turned as brown as it is now and without the stone cave as yet, plus 1 of FEMALE and then MALE taken before I moved them into the blackwater tank where photos aren't coming out well. I've read that the macmasteri like being in a trio also but haven't come across another female locally though I know I could find them mail order.
I did see the two doing that shaking & trembling dance though didn't witness the male going into the cave.
She's in her cave and defensive of it. So, possible babies coming up ? Or do females sometimes 'nest' in the cave without any eggs at all?