Bitaeniata free swimmers

[javoski]

I almost ruined a bitaeniata sucessful spawn. At least 7 fry must be in the 4th day swinmming right now.

They begun to swin while I was traveling. Before leaving, I tought I just lost another spawn, as the female stopped guarding the wood so tightly.

But as I was away, my wife gave me the good news.
When I arrived, I found a terrified female, an attacking male and 3 or 4 fry, separated in the tank.

I removed the male and spent a couple hours searching for fry, and found just a couple.
Today, I turned the lights on and found an uninterested female. She was not looking for her offspring - nor caring, nor attacking.

So I concluded "if she is not guiding them, I should remove her"

And them I tried to execute it. But I was unable and I got little time. When I came back, I found her pasturing at least 7 fries.

Before someone asks, the tank has only 3 otocinclus, besides the bitaeniata.

 

[chris1932]

I am glad you were able to save the remaining 7, Any photographs?

 

[bigbird]

well done, looks like you came back just in time.
Post some photos of your new family so we can have a look, also of the Male and female. have a good day. cheers jan-kurt

 

[javoski]

I was able to count at least 8 right now.

the best 2 photos I was able to took this morning.

The male is already in another tank. He is rather young - around 6 months. She is around 1 yr and is with me since july. Both are 1st generation born in a tank. But they came from different hobbysts and cities

 

[javoski]

20 days later and they´re pretty big!
I just counted 7 at the same time.
I was counting only 6 for the last 10 days.

THey´re eating newborn artemia every morning and microworm at night.
Ate enquitrea (i think u call whiteworn) once. The whiteworm are quite big for them.

The female killed 2 otos. One is still there.

She is still doing a wonderful job ... but I must decide who I will move soon, specially as I have only 2 tanks - the 70 liters with mom and babies and a 200liters with a cacatuoides huge family and 4 assorted males, including the father bita.

I am inclined to move the babies and preserve the mother in her breeding mood.

I must setup a tank in a 70 liter plastic container tomorrow.

 

[bigbird]

:biggrin:
well done. Even when they are little do they look beautiful.
good on you and congrats. Yes move the fry.
cheers jan-kurt

 

[Apistomaster]

Plastic sweater boxes and the like can make very handy emergency fry rearing tanks. Keep their water pretty shallow like six inches or so. It will be necessary to feed them carefully since you have so few fry. Try chopping the white worms up to bite size bits with a single edge razor blade. The worms really help them grow fast.
Congratulations on your success. I have never found Apistogramma bitaeniata very easy to breed and raise. I have only worked with wild caught A. bitaeniata.

 

[javoski]

They´re pretty big now! Eating white worms and adult brine s with no problem ... but main course is bbs

I´ve set up a 50 liter plastic container with an internal filter and heater for the last 10 days. Put a 6-8 months cacatuoides female there .... just to make sure a fish can live there :tongue:

The problem is that I am not able to lower the ph using only peat in the filter. I have CO2 in the original 70 liter tank where they were born ... which drop the ph below 6.2

I made a single water change there since they´re born and will make another one. Just to present them to some ph flunctuations .... and them will move them

At the same, i wll put more and brand new peat in the filter in the plastic container ... and put the male with the female again.