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best ph for breeding macs?

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
Hello everyone, i have had a pair of macmasteri in a "breeding aquarium" with a lazy Guppy with back problems. i've had the fish in there for 2 months and have multiple caves and hides for them. My ph currently is 6.9 i am wondering because macmasteri are an apistogramma that is very domesticated is this ph is okay, i have done multiple water changes this week changed ph slightly. I have also added a mirror for 30 minutes a few times, the pair is compatible i think, the male is flaunting his fins then the females flaunts hers and shows her (very yellow) stomach and they swim together often. is my ph okay, need i lower it? thanks
IMG_0231.jpeg
IMG_0229.jpeg
IMG_0235.jpeg
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
PH of 6.9 should be fine for tank raised, that's what my mac. tanks are at and they breed more than I want them to. As yellow as she is are you sure there is no eggs or fry?
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
if there were eggs would she be at the top of the water column and exploring? i just thought they stuck near the cave like other fish i've bred before.
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
Most of the time that is true but in two of mine the females come out to eat and will stay out for a while, I have no other fish in those two tanks. But in other tanks I also have no other fish in with them and the females dont come out till fry time.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Hard to say what the problem is. When I have a similar problem - yes, it happens to everyone - I start doing changes. I start dropping the pH and hardness and modify the decor of the tank. Something right now is not conducive to successful reproduction. Does the female stay at the top of the water column a lot? This is not normal for apistos. We see this mostly in fish without a territory and actively harassed.
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
She is not being harassed and most of the time she stays at the middle of the aquarium, she just comes up to the glass inquisitively quite often. also she is at the top of the aquarium hunting for cherry shrimp babies in ball of floating plant matter. Another thing is when I put my hand in the aquarium yesterday to change the water they were extremely aggresive toward it, and when i first tuned on the aquarium lights today I didn't see the female for maybe 10 minutes, could this mean she was near a cave and protecting it? anyways I will make some decor changes and probably drop the ph to 6.7 and temps a bit.
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
If she is flashing her belly to him she probably is ready to breed, what size tank and have you checked your other parameters?
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
ph is 6.8, i lowered it a bit. 27 degrees, (80 degrees farenheit) 0 ammonia, 0 NO3, I don't have a test kit for the hardness but the response for my city water supply is 2.42 - 6.31 mg/L. my aquarium is a 20 gallon high, i re-arranged decor and did my 4th water change of the week
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
So, the female is the same colour as before and just swimming with the male all over the aquarium rarely more than a few fish lengths away. i have a bristlenose pleco in the aquarium, i thought that he might scare them but not eat the eggs because they spawn in caves usually. is he the cause of this? need i add more tannins like alder cones? or should i just wait, whilst doing water changes frequently? thanks
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
Try a home made snail trap baited with squash ect., I poke holes in mine, it seems to work better.
 

Ben Rhau

Apisto Club
Messages
566
Location
San Francisco
I have the HM Digital COM-100, which works well. If I had to buy again I’d probably get the Hanna combo meter, since it also does pH, and in a wider range (and easier to read format) than my test kits.
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
Hi! Sorry to bust in on this with something off topic.
Are your fish wild or an aquarium strain? I don’t see as much red in tours, as i most aquarium strains
-i’m having a hard time finding pictures of macs that aren’t color enhanced aquarium strains.
I’m asking because i am looking into some macmasteri complex species for a future tank. So it would be nice to see what they look like, if i’m not going for wildcaught.

well, back to topic...

-r
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
Thanks a lot Mike. Beautiful fish and very impressive photo color-wise considered it’s age

-r
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
another off topic question: how can I lower my ph without using chemical additives?

GH: 3ppm
KH: 5ppm
TDS: 2-5ppm
ph: 7.2

I just cannot get my ph low at all, what do I need to do? thanks for any help
 

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