Breeding Pair, what’s next

[DaS54]

I want to preface this by saying that I am not an apisto pro, nor am I trying to be. However, I do want to breed and provide the best possible environment and outcome possible.

So, longish story short, I had 2 male A. Borelli Opal (I think) sold to me as a pair from an online store. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been trying to source a female online to no avail. Walked into a LFS, and saw one, singular, A. Borelli Opal for sale. Traded a male for a female and here we are. Upon adding the female, the male immediately starting what I see as courting, and the female is entertaining it.

As seen in the attached, the tank is NOT set up for what I learned and now believe is ideal for Apistogramma and breeding. The tank is a Fluval flex 15 and tankmates are a group of 5 sterbai corydoras, and 3 candy cane tetras. I will be willing, with decent persuasion, to rearrange and rescape if need be.

As always, any advice is appreciated, and any criticism will always be taken into account in improvements. Thanks guys and gals.

 

[MacZ]

The tank is a Fluval flex 15 and tankmates are a group of 5 sterbai corydoras, and 3 candy cane tetras.

If you want to breed these all have to go. Corydorids in that tank size, especially such that can potentially grow as big as the Apistos are amajor stress factor. And the tetras are fry predators.

Otherwise: You are lucky it's A. borellii and not another species. It would not work otherwise. If I interpret that right the Flex 15 means 15 gallons, right? See, that tank size is ok for breeding, and while with A. borellii you can leave the male in, other species would start getting at their throats after spawning. Many females do not tolerate the male close when brooding and leading fry. So for that you'd need a secondary tank to keep the male in while the female is tending to the fry. Again, lucky, not with this species.

What I would still recommend: Get a growout tank. 100 liters would be a good size, so you don't have to do daily waterchanges.

And now the big one: Let's say you get them to breed, you raise the fry... what then? You should probably get that cleared before attemting to multiply them. My best advice is getting a LFS to buy (let's forget that, most stores give you store credit at best) take them off your hands in bulk, as singular sale via the internet usually doesn't work well. And it takes ages until all are sold that way, meanwhile you'd have 2-3 more batches of fry.

 

[DaS54]

If you want to breed these all have to go. Corydorids in that tank size, especially such that can potentially grow as big as the Apistos are amajor stress factor. And the tetras are fry predators.

Otherwise: You are lucky it's A. borellii and not another species. It would not work otherwise. If I interpret that right the Flex 15 means 15 gallons, right? See, that tank size is ok for breeding, and while with A. borellii you can leave the male in, other species would start getting at their throats after spawning. Many females do not tolerate the male close when brooding and leading fry. So for that you'd need a secondary tank to keep the male in while the female is tending to the fry. Again, lucky, not with this species.

What I would still recommend: Get a growout tank. 100 liters would be a good size, so you don't have to do daily waterchanges.

And now the big one: Let's say you get them to breed, you raise the fry... what then? You should probably get that cleared before attemting to multiply them. My best advice is getting a LFS to buy (let's forget that, most stores give you store credit at best) take them off your hands in bulk, as singular sale via the internet usually doesn't work well. And it takes ages until all are sold that way, meanwhile you'd have 2-3 more batches of fry.

As for the big question of what to do with the fry, I do have a great relationship with my LFS, and I’m almost positive that they would take offspring of a sellable size. Even if not is for store credit, over time I wouldn’t be too upset with it.

As far as what to do with the tetras and corydora, I saw that coming with the tetras. The big bodied tetras have that reputation, and I was looking to replace them with Nannostomus mortenthaleri, the coral read pencil fish. Would love your thoughts for them as a shoaling, possibly less aggressive alternative to the tetras. Cory’s are hard for me to give up, I really do enjoy them, and I have actually had small sterbai fry from the Cory’s I have now, before they were eating by a male ran that was there before the apistos. Other than being another bottom dweller, why are Cory’s such a stressor for the apistos? I’m curious of that.

As of right now, I don’t see myself getting another species of apisto, but if I did it would be a cacatuoides.

 

[Apistoguy52]

Like stated above, get a grow out tank or three for the fry…borellii fry are stupid slow to grow so it’ll be minimum 6-8 months before they’re large enough to send down the road.

Corydoras act a bit aloof, and won’t take the “stay away” cues from momma borellii…they are armored for the most part. With that said, brooding momma won’t tolerate them and will most likely leave you with corydoras that don’t have any eyes

 

[MacZ]

As for the big question of what to do with the fry, I do have a great relationship with my LFS, and I’m almost positive that they would take offspring of a sellable size. Even if not is for store credit, over time I wouldn’t be too upset with it.

Then I would still talk it through with them, you should have that fixed before you get fry.

Ase said above, they take ages to grow and most stores won't take them under 4cm TL, meaning only when they can be sexed more or less savely.

The big bodied tetras have that reputation

All tetras, with exceptions being H. amandae, T. tucano and similarly small ones. Neons, glowlights... all fry predators.

I was looking to replace them with Nannostomus mortenthaleri, the coral read pencil fish. Would love your thoughts for them as a shoaling, possibly less aggressive alternative to the tetras.

Nannostomus always work, although I would keep A. borellii at room temp (~20°C), while Nannostomus should be kept at 24°C and above, so that might be a problem.

Other than being another bottom dweller, why are Cory’s such a stressor for the apistos? I’m curious of that.

@Apistoguy52 has got it to a point: Brooding apisto females are not only coloured like a wasp, they fight like a wasp. Also they tend to burn out and drop dead with too much stress during brooding. So I would really advise you to move the catfish to another tank.

I don’t see myself getting another species of apisto, but if I did it would be a cacatuoides.

If you do: 80x35cm footprint for a breeding tank, 60x30cm for a separate tank for the male, 100x40 for growout at least.