I think they're doing it. A. Baenschi

[Ohemlig]

Hi

I recently bought a pair of baenschis. I've got them in 80L tank with about ten amanos and a dwarf puffer. After two weeks the female started to get very yellow and I though that was nice sinse she was all grey before

She has now ocupide a coconut cave and is guarding it with her life. Does that mean she has eggs in there?

Theres a lot of plants and roots but not so much java moss for hiding.

I could realy use some help, don't know anything about breeding fish.
If they hatch, can I keep them in one of those little breeding net boxes or do I need another tank?

Isn't the male supposed to guard them to?

MVH Oskar

 

[Mike Wise]

It appears that your female has eggs/fry. A. baenschi is known to have large spawns (100+ eggs/fry). The female has the primary responsibility of guarding the fry, but in this species the male will help somewhat. I definitely would not use a breeding net. The fry coordinate feeding with signals given by their mother. If all you have are a puffer and shrimp in the tank, you shouldn't lose too many fry to predation. You will need a LOT of micro-food. Live food is important because the fry are attracted to motion. I recommend hatching brine shrimp eggs. You can use only dry food, but you will lose many of the fry to starvation.

 

[Ohemlig]

Thank's for the help.
I haven't seen any fry yet but she's still guarding her cave so I guess something is still in there.
I went to my auarium dealer before and he sed I shuld use some kind of micro food that was on a tiny bottle, so I guess that it won't move to much though. I have no kind of experience in hatching or breeding my own food, do I need any special equipment?

100 eggs, guess I have to get myself a larger tank then

 

[Mike Wise]

It typically takes 7 days, after the eggs are laid, for the fry to become freeswimming. I don't like liquid fry foods for anything. If you really can't get live foods, then try some of the dry powder size foods - and expect large losses of fry. You can learn about hatching brine shrimp eggs at many places on the internet. There are several different ways to do this. I use 2 l bottles: cheap and works! I wouldn't expect 100 eggs on the first spawn of a young pair; 30 is more likely. Once fully mature, the species is quite prolific.

 

[Ohemlig]

Doesn't seem like there will be any fry, the female has given upp guaring the cave. But she's still yellow and it looks like she want to mate but the male doesn't.
Is there a way to tell if the male is ready? His so buissy hunting the little puffer and the two catfish he doesn't even care shes there.

I got the equipment to hatch brine shrimps though, hope someday I will have to use it too.

 

[Mike Wise]

I've said it many times: a community tank is not a breeding tank. If it were mine, I would remove the puffer and catfish. They do not belong in a breeding tank. Instead add a few (2-3) top swimming fish (like pencilfish or even small killifish) for dither/target fish.

 

[Ohemlig]

I've got fry!

I just saw one free swimming fry in a pot. Hope there is more of them. I though that the eggs didn't hach sins the female didn't bother any more. Is it possible that she has eggs in one place and fry in another at the same time? She's swimming back and forth between the coconut and the pot and it looks like she's waving water in the coconut.

Hope I can get the brine shrimps to hatch in time.:biggrin:

 

[Ohemlig]

It looks like she's feeding on them:frown:

 

[Mike Wise]

This isn't too unusual when there are other fish in the tank that try to eat the fry. For the female, it is better to eat the fry and gain the nutrition for another spawn than to let the other fish eat them anyway.

 

[Ohemlig]

Ok. But they don't get a chanse to eat them. The puffer is chased all the time and I don't think the catfish will eat them? Can it be that I'm to late finding out about them so that to meny of them have died? I also red that she will move the fry around, it can't be that she taking them in her mouth?

Thanks again for all the help! /Oskar

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, any catfish will eat fry if given a chance. When there are too many fish that the female needs to chase, she often takes "the easy way out" - eats the fry and uses the derived nutrition for the next attempt. Like I say, a community tank is not a breeding tank.