New Babies

[animalmgc]

I recently(oct 15) purchased some double reds4 total1 male 3 females and 2 of the females laid eggs and they hatched.They've been around for 2 days now water per is ph of 6.0 kh of 40 and gh of 25.I'm prepared to move them to a 10 gal with a clear bottom figuring this would be best since there is also 7 rummy nose tetras in with them.How long should I keep them in with moms and if no baby brine is avail. what else would be a good alternative to feed them.

 

[Mud Pie Mama]

Congrats on the new Apistogrammas and their first spawning.

You're right in that the Rummy Nose tetra will predate on the fry. They are very skilled at picking them off. Even a very expert Mom will have little luck pass a few days time.

If you really want to raise these fry you could siphon just the fry. Sometimes moving both mother and fry together is so stressful that the mother will eat her own fry. It would also be very tricky if you tried to move both females, as they would not have their own territories established and immediately feel threatened by each other. However, I personally don't like bare-bottom tanks. I find fry do better in a tank with at least a shallow covering of Pool Filter Sand. And, in a tank that w/ an established bio-filter. Also, a big hunk of Java Fern that the fry can pick at for tiny infusoria.


That said, Apistogramma females most often take wonderful care of their fry, leading them around to find food, etc. Fry raise with their mothers often grow and fare much better. Most often they can be left with their mother for around a month. Sometimes even longer if the male has been removed from the tank and is not present to initiate another spawning.



As for feeding. Apisto fry do much, much better with live food when they are first free swimming. It's the wiggle factor. Besides BBS, you can feed microworms. Microworms are very easy to keep and raise.