Apisto Bitaeniata Tefe Advice Pls

[Mike Wise]

Robyn,

As long as the frozen food diet is varied, your fish will be fine. Since your male seems to be ok & has claimed the tank, now would be a good time to re-introduce the female and see what happens. I'd also eventually add a couple of dither fish like pencilfish.

 

[TankWatcher]

Thanks, I appreciate all the help I've received here.

I will try to pick up some pencil fish today or tomorrow & release the female.

 

[TankWatcher]

Mike, I have a question about the pencil fish. At on LFS I have found them & they are about $6.00 each. Another LFS tells me these must be false pencil fish, as real pencil fish are $30.00 each. I asked him what was the difference between the two & he couldn't really say. He said they look the same (in both types, the male have red on them) & their personality is the same, but if I want to breed them, I should go for real pencil fish.

I don't care about breeding them, but I want them to have the attributes that you previously described for pencil fish. Do you know the difference between the false & the real ones. If there really is no difference, I'll go for the cheaper.

Do you know anything about false pencil fish?

 

[Noddy65]

I use 2 or 3 White Cloud Minnows. Cheap as chips and pretty tough and harmless.
Certainly lots cheaper than Pencilfish in Aus.
Mike

 

[Mike Wise]

In the US the commonest pencilfish (Nannostomus beckfordi) cost between US$2 - 3. Most aquarists consider any species in the genera Nannostomus, Pyrhulina, & Copella to be pencilfishes. Any will work fine. White Clouds are an excellent substitute - if you don't mind shortening their life span somewhat. They prefer temperatures around 20-22ºC (68-72ºF) although they can handle temperatures up to about 30ºC (86ºF).

 

[TankWatcher]

Thanks Noddy & Mike,

If they're all considered pencil fish, I'll go with the cheaper ones, also because they don't mind the higher temperature.

Your temperature reminded me to ask, what is the best temp for my bita's and what is the best temp for my cacatuoides (different tank).

Thanks again.

 

[Roach]

Hey TW,
I see you decided to look a little further afield for some answers. You might recognise me as Robdog from another forum. Upon reading a lot of the posts around here you'll realise (and I just noticed this myself) that people(experts) seem reluctant to prescribe medications for fixing apisto problems. Probably because the other forum is inhabited largely by discus freaks Discus are known carriers of their fair share of diseases and therefore people are always quick to whip out the metro/prazi etc

 

[TankWatcher]

Hi Robdog, masquerading as Roach. The Aussie discus forum was good, cause it could talk about what was available in meds in Aus. Also one response I got from Discus forum suggested I ask the questions on this forum. These fish had me stressed & worried about their survival enough that I thought the apistogramma dedicated site would be a good place to get advice.

The separation advice from Mike seems to be working (as my male is now more confident & lets the otos know he is king of the tank), so once I get the pencil fish (today) that Mike suggested, then the female will be released from the net to rejoin the male.

I'm still hoping that someone can tell me what is the best temp for these bita's & also my cacatuoides (which are in a separate tank).

Thanks for responses.

 

[Roach]

I reckon 25-26C is pretty good for these guys. Mine have lived in as high as 31-32C:redface: during summer which the discus love but I'm pretty sure it shortens the lifespan of these little guys.

 

[Mike Wise]

Roach is right. A. bitaeniata - and A. cacatuoides - can live happily at temperatures between 22º - 28ºC. Keeping the temp on the lower side is good for long-term maintenance while breeding is best done around 26ºC.

 

[TankWatcher]

Thank you for the temp advice. Female was released & pencil fish (dithers) added last night. The female at first hid, but very shortly was out & about showing the most glorious golden colour, instead of her usual dirty yellow/brown. When approached by the male, she would tip to the side, as if showing him her belly. They were together a lot, with him flaring at her & no aggression. The test though, will be if they spawn & what happens then. Last time, the aggression only started after the eggs were laid, but then continued even after she ate the last egg.

I can't figure out how to post pictures here, or I would do so, as I'd like their identification confirmed.

Thanks for help - I'm feeling much more confident for this pair now.

EDIT: Male & female now seem to know I feed them & all is going well between them. Also their long-term maintenance is more important than breeding, so I'll pick 25degrees, which I hope is the middle road.

 

[TankWatcher]

ok, so for some reason, these apistos continue to worry me. I last saw the female on Saturday night & it is now Monday afternoon. How long should I wait before searching for her. The tank is so heavily planted & divided with visual barriers, that she could be hiding in the tank without me knowing, but she did not come out to eat last night (she did eat Saturday night though).

Eek, as I type this she has finally shown up in the front of the tank. Grrr, quickly fed while she was in the front of the tank. He came up & she swam away. Grrr. She is very submissive to the male. She almost turns on her side, as if showing her belly to the male. What does that mean? Does it mean she is enticing him to mate, or does it just mean she is letting him know that she knows he is the boss & she is submissive. Her tail fin is looking worse for wear - a bit ragged looking. I don't know if he has been nipping her, or something else is happening.

I think I will add melafix to the tank & see if that helps, but my water quality is fine. With no testable ammonia or nitrite present. My nitrate usually stays around 20ppm & I can't do a lot to alter that, as it comes out of my tap at around 20ppm anyway.

Any clues as to the turning on her side activity & the ragged tail? Many thanks.

 

[Mike Wise]

You really need to relax! I always considered aquariums rather relaxing. Her gestures are normal submissive gestures. As long as she has a number of hiding places she should be fine. As long as your water is in prime condition, I wouldn't add chemicals to it. She will heal by herself without turning the tank into chemistry set. If anything, I would add some peat extract.

 

[TankWatcher]

You really need to relax!

I know, my 2 other tanks are relaxing, but this one & these fish worry me.

Ok, no melafix. I think my ADA soil does what peat does, so I think I'm ok there. Thanks for the advice.