Breeding A. commbrae and trifasciata

[AquaAlbatros]

Hi, in my breeding experiences, the a. commbrae fry grows 4 times slower than trifasciata fry, Does anybody saw this in his tanks ?,
My fry growing setup is :
40 lts tanks, water at pH 6, KH 2, DH 3, Temp. 26 degrees. 2 water changes weekly.
Is there a problem ?, or the a. commbrae is a slow growing species ?
Thank's
Juan

 

[Mike Wise]

Some Apistogramma species just grow more slowly than others.

 

[mummymonkey]

I've found A. trifasciata to be very slow growing. Even for apistos. Your A. commbrae must be very leisurely!

 

[Apistt_ed]

I remember reading somewhere that temperature also plays a big role in fish growth rates. Hi-temps make for better metabolism which in turn equals faster growth but shorter life-span (?). Sounds logical enough. I have found trifasciata to be slow growers but with a good diet, large tank (I use 30gallon breeders), and temps of about 28 degrees my fish mature pretty fast. My trifasciatas spawn really early too, so it really doesn't matter to me whether or not they're full grown or not. Eventually each one will have their own unique characteristics and looks. And some time ago, there was a post talking about growing out fry and growing out fish and something that "Mike Wise(?)" said about growing out his aquarium strain show male, A. steindachneri... starting off with higher temps early on to grow big and then lowering the temps to slow growth(?).

 

[Mike Wise]

"Mike Wise(?)" said about growing out his aquarium strain show male, A. steindachneri... starting off with higher temps early on to grow big and then lowering the temps to slow growth(?).

You're 'kinda' right. Start by growing the fry fast for the first 4-6 months to put on body size. Then drop the temperature very low to slow down their aging. Fish will live longer at their lower temperature range. Since fish continually grow (but more slowly after reaching sexual maturity) over their entire life, a fish will develop a larger body & longer fins as it gets older. It's also a good idea to keep it away from other cichlids (territorial fights that might damage the fish) and not use it for breeding. Breeding ages a fish faster than almost anything. It is also more suseptible to diseases at lower temps. This is another good reason to keep a show fish isolated.