panduro water parameters

[scott]

i just got a pair of panduro's from apistodave. ive had them about 5 days. i have them in straight r/o water with a ph of about 5.0-5.3 and practically no kh/gh. my test is rather vague at ph this low. the fish seem happy. they are showing good coloration for there age. they have been taking daphnia, cbw's and live brine shrimp since i acclimated them. my eremenopyge and baenschi do well in the same water but i keep my cacs and borelli's in a slightly higher ph/kh. my question is will the panduro's do best in the straight r/o or should i acclimate them to the water parameters of the borelli's and cacs (ph 6.3 and about 2dkh) which i get by adding a small amount of kent's ph stable to the catch barrel for the r/o. unfortunately my tap water is far to bad to mix back with the r/o to raise ph and kh.

 

[Mike Wise]

Although A. panduro is a blackwater species, the species will breed in either of your water types.

 

[scott]

thanks mike. it's alot easier to use the straight r/o. also there is practically no fluctuation in water parameters with water changes so i guess i'll use that.

 

[apisto_shores]

breeding panduro

I've had my panduro pair in a 125 gal tank with another cacatuiodes pair
in with water parameters at 80 deg, ph 6.7 and gh/kh 1-2. I can't seem
to get them to breed. It's been like this for about 6 months. The tank
is heavliy planted with plenty of dithers and coconut shells.Clueless?

 

[scott]

with just 1 pair i have had better luck with smaller tanks. have you tried a water change with slightly cooler and "softer" water. this seems to work with most apistogramma species

 

[Mike Wise]

I've had my panduro pair in a 125 gal tank with another cacatuiodes pair in with water parameters at 80 deg, ph 6.7 and gh/kh 1-2. I can't seem
to get them to breed. It's been like this for about 6 months. The tank
is heavliy planted with plenty of dithers and coconut shells.Clueless?

I have found that A. panduro, like many nijsseni-group species, is preferentially monogamous. In this, the female will not breed with just any male. For these species I try to get 6 juveniles and let them choose their own mates.

 

[apisto_shores]

panduro breeding

Would it matter if they have grown up together. They are always in and out
of the same shell. Neither one chases the other off, infact I have thought
they have breed several times. He assumes the guarding roll and she dressed
in bright yellow stays in the shell but no fry.

 

[scott]

Would it matter if they have grown up together. They are always in and out
of the same shell. Neither one chases the other off, infact I have thought
they have breed several times. He assumes the guarding roll and she dressed
in bright yellow stays in the shell but no fry.

it would seem to me that they are indeed a compatible pair and have even spawned "several times". more than likely the eggs have been eaten either by the parents or other fish in the tank. you said there are plenty of dithers, what species are they? cories and some plecos are notorious for eating apistogramma eggs and being armored catfish there isn't anything an apisto can do to defend against this.

 

[apisto_shores]

I had 6 cardinal tetras, but recently added 4 emerald eye tetra, 4 white
cloud minnows and 9 synodontus batesii. No plecos of any kind. At the
moment my YG Cacatuiodes female stays in the coconut shell and the male
and all other fish stay at the other end of the tank. Lets cross our fingers.

 

[scott]

i hope they can get it right for you this time. keep us posted on what happens.