hatching eggs artfully

[sasikan]

hi i want to hatch apisto cacatuoides eggs in a jar (no parents) ,how do i do it ?1 gallon jar ? air stone ?water from the parents tank? mytelyne blue? change the water every day ? ph? does this sound right? anything else?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
You'll need an egg tumbler, if you have a look at the site for Lake Malawi cichlids you should find a source in Canada or DIY instructions. Have a look here: <http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/tumbling_eggs.php> although you may be able to use an aquarium net, with an air stone underneath it in the main tank. Cleanliness is very important, so the larger the volume of water you have the better, so I'd always use the main tank. I don't like methylene blue, so I put alder cones in with any eggs or fry it works well with Cories, so it should work with Apistos. I've used Asellus, MTS and Red Cherry shrimps as cleaners for Loricariid eggs, but never for cichlids. In fact I've never raised any Apistogramma fry artificially, the female does a good job so I let her get on with it. pH will depend upon species, but for most species the water will need to be soft and acid.

cheers Darrel

 

[sasikan]

thanks i was not sure about the mytelyne blue ,and i think you are saying the air bubbles should flow on the eggs right? i will try it changing about half the water every day taking water from the parents tank

 

[sasikan]

(if i leave the babys with the parents i end up with 10 to 15 babys) apistogramma cacaduoides

 

[Mike Wise]

I would artificially hatch apistos as an absolute last resort. Apisto fry orient closely to the signals of their mother. Without her, they generally just sit on the bottom and don't actively seek food. If you're only getting 10-15 fry, I'd suggest that you remove the male after spawning and put a single pencil fish in the tank as a dither fish to keep the female's maternal instincts working. Also feed live foods. This will usually encourage growth in the fry and prevent mom from considering the fry to be better food than dry.

 

[sasikan]

sounds good (taking the male out) the most fry that lived(44) was wen i placed her and her eggs in a separate aqua

 

[Linus_Cello]

If you're only getting 10-15 fry, I'd suggest that you remove the male after spawning and put a single pencil fish in the tank as a dither fish to keep the female's maternal instincts working.

Why do you suggest a single pencil fish? I find that pencil fish don't do well unless in groups. Would maybe some endlers be a better dither?

 

[slimbolen99]

Probably because a single pencilfish isn't going to decimate a spawn of apistos like a group of pencilfish; although, that's my best guess.

I've never had any luck raising fry from eggs.
I have had success stealing freeswimming fry after a week with the parents...although then the parents get rather upset. I try to steal most of the fry at one time, and leave a few for the parents to try and raise.

 

[Stickzula]

the purpose of the pencilfish is not to have it as a companion or other type of "happy" aesthetic fish. Since the goal here is to raise a larger brood and not to keep a healthy pencilfish/ pencilfish school the pencilfish is expendable as long as it gets the job done. It's purpose is to "keep the female's maternal instincts working" If I'm not mistaken, the female is supposed to fend off intruders that get within a certain perimeter of the nest. Additionally she should encourage the male to defend a larger area outside the perimeter that she is protecting. With the male out of the picture she will likely figure that he is "on patrol" and go about her duty protecting her perimeter. Having the pencilfish around will keep her busy and remind her of her instinctual role. Hopefully all this will add up to her not eating the eggs.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Would maybe some endlers be a better dither

Male Endlers are fine as dithers.
Cheers Darrel

 

[Mike Wise]

Pencilfish actually are not true schooling fish. They tend to live together, but don't require other members of their species being nearby for comfort/protection. Most aquarists don't realize that the pencilfish and other members of the family Lebiasinidae are territorial - and closely related to the family Erythrinidae (Trahira/Wolf Fish).

 

[Apistomaster]

If I use artificial hatching methods I use acriflavine at first. As soon as I can see any signs of embryological development I make a complete water change with water from the breeding tank.
I use a 4.5 gal tank and one air stone gently bubbling a few inches away from the eggs. You never want the air stone bubbles bubbling directly on the eggs. It doesn't take much air to provide all the necessary water circulation. The newly hatched larvae can't tolerate excess circulation and it is harder for the free swimming fry to catch bbs or mikroworms if there is too much circulation.
I also prefer a small tank because I can use a heater to keep the correct and stable temperature.

 

[sasikan]

tanks for the info. Wow you have nice looking plecos