Ade205
Active Member
- Messages
- 172
- Location
- Swadlincote, England
HI all.
Well, not new to fish keeping, but definately learnt a lesson or two this week!
As said in my introduction on joining site, I've kept male apistos in many planted Discus tanks and with other dwarf Chiclids and community fish over the years... I now fancied trying to breed them.
I had a male double Red cac in one of my community tanks for a while, he's the one in my profile pic.I pulled him and popped him in a quieter tank with just a small group of harlequins and dwarf rainbows in. Found a female at lfs, added her along with a few coconut shells and waited. Two weeks later, the female totally changed colour from a brownish colour to bright yellow and started to spend all her time in one of the shells...then about 7 days after noticing this, she appeared with fry! I was ecstatic! Counted between 20 and 30 fry, however, lights for tank are on a timer and following morning there was one fry remaining.
After above, I left lights on and mum was excellent, collecting her baby up in her mouth if wondered to far, and spitting him back into a more safe spot! Her one baby survived a week without any noticeable threat from other fish, all which stayed near surface, though mum was pretty aggressive if anyone got to low and close! Dad was allowed close without aggression.
Then, with me thinking he'd be safer if moved, I decided to pop him in a fry trap.. was big mistake! Was a mesh net type.. I caught him ok, popped into trap ok. Then, about 5 mins later right infront of me, mum seen him in trap and tried to suck him into her mouth to take him back to her little patch she'd used for last week. The little chap had no chance as she tried to suck him through netting! Guess I totally underestimated how parental these amazing little fish are!
Hoping to get fry again soon, and just wondering, what do others do regarding lights overnight if leaving fry in with parents?
Well, not new to fish keeping, but definately learnt a lesson or two this week!
As said in my introduction on joining site, I've kept male apistos in many planted Discus tanks and with other dwarf Chiclids and community fish over the years... I now fancied trying to breed them.
I had a male double Red cac in one of my community tanks for a while, he's the one in my profile pic.I pulled him and popped him in a quieter tank with just a small group of harlequins and dwarf rainbows in. Found a female at lfs, added her along with a few coconut shells and waited. Two weeks later, the female totally changed colour from a brownish colour to bright yellow and started to spend all her time in one of the shells...then about 7 days after noticing this, she appeared with fry! I was ecstatic! Counted between 20 and 30 fry, however, lights for tank are on a timer and following morning there was one fry remaining.
After above, I left lights on and mum was excellent, collecting her baby up in her mouth if wondered to far, and spitting him back into a more safe spot! Her one baby survived a week without any noticeable threat from other fish, all which stayed near surface, though mum was pretty aggressive if anyone got to low and close! Dad was allowed close without aggression.
Then, with me thinking he'd be safer if moved, I decided to pop him in a fry trap.. was big mistake! Was a mesh net type.. I caught him ok, popped into trap ok. Then, about 5 mins later right infront of me, mum seen him in trap and tried to suck him into her mouth to take him back to her little patch she'd used for last week. The little chap had no chance as she tried to suck him through netting! Guess I totally underestimated how parental these amazing little fish are!
Hoping to get fry again soon, and just wondering, what do others do regarding lights overnight if leaving fry in with parents?
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