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Setting up breeding rack after losing all the fish

ZanaZoola14

Member
Messages
34
Hello, due to my water company changing what they put in the tap, I've lost my apistos and rams. So I'll be completely starting anew. So it means I can now go with what would be best for the fish (also going RO with discus minerals (I am not going back to tap, I don't want to face losing everything again)).

What would people recommend?
How to set up the breeding rack?
What sort of foods have people found work really well?
Flow rate?
Planted, non-planted?
Substrate, no substrate, small amount of substrate underneath the cave/flat(s)?
Multiple breeding locations, or only one per pair?
Is there anything further you'd recommend to do with the water?
(10/12"x15"x15")

I'll set up a tank for breeding rams and another for breeding apistos. I am probably going to go lf german blues, and maybe one other (previously had gold pair bred from a black pair) - with a more significant segment in the middle to raise the fry (same with the apistos until I get a third and fourth tank to raise them fully set up).

Now that I've lost the apistos, I am unsure what way to go. I love the cockatoo orange flash/sunburst; however, local to me have lots of health issues (females surviving well, males not doing so good). I was also going to breed the A. Gephyra I had, after sourcing a female, but now that I don't have Chopstick anymore, I'm not sure that I want to go down that route now - not many people near me that are big on apistos and would like them more for their "flashiness". I'm interested in them further, in a way that is increasing daily - just I'll likely need to be able to sell to afford to keep them running - I've started shipping fish, but I still don't know a lot of people who own them near me to sell to - as my lfs that I work at don't take from non-suppliers for anything, they only rehome them, and the only other close is pah.

England, UK
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
Hello, due to my water company changing what they put in the tap, I've lost my apistos and rams. So I'll be completely
starting anew. So it means I can now go with what would be best for the fish (also going RO with discus minerals (I am not going back to tap, I don't want to face losing everything again)).
I'm sorry to hear that, tap water usage is always a bit of a lottery.

I see you live in the UK, is rain-water an option for you? I've used it for a large number of years without any issues.
What sort of foods have people found work really well?
Flow rate?
Planted, non-planted?
Substrate, no substrate, small amount of substrate underneath the cave/flat(s)?
Multiple breeding locations, or only one per pair?
Is there anything further you'd recommend to do with the water?
(10/12"x15"x15")
Have a look at <"Seasoned Tank Time"> and @apistobob 's <"web site">.
  • Food ... live food and a mixture of pellets, Apistogramma seem to both like and do well on<"Fluval Bugbites">. I don't use frozen food, but other members will have suggestions for frozen food.
  • For a breeding rack I would use a piston air pump and air ring with <"Czech jet lifters and Hamburg Matten Filters">. If you don't want to, can't go down that route, I'd use a <"powerhead and big sponge">.
  • Planted for <"all sorts of reasons">. I wouldn't even attempt to keep Dwarf Cichlid in a tank without established plants. <"Plants are just a no brainer">.......and plenty of moss.
  • <"Fine sand substrate"> and lots of structural leaf litter.
  • <"Coconut caves"> and plenty of them.
  • In terms of the water, you only need to add a very minimal amount of carbonate buffering (dKH), but you need some tannins and humic substances.
  • Bigger tanks, 24" long minimum, height is less relevant.
The last thing, and I'm not trying to be funny here, but just ignore what you are told by most forums (I know this is a forum) and LFS, unless you have one you trust, or Ste Chesters owns <"your local shop">?

cheers Darrel
 

ZanaZoola14

Member
Messages
34
Hi all,

I'm sorry to hear that, tap water usage is always a bit of a lottery.

I see you live in the UK, is rain-water an option for you? I've used it for a large number of years without any issues.

Have a look at <"Seasoned Tank Time"> and @apistobob 's <"web site">.
  • Food ... live food and a mixture of pellets, Apistogramma seem to both like and do well on<"Fluval Bugbites">. I don't use frozen food, but other members will have suggestions for frozen food.
  • For a breeding rack I would use a piston air pump and air ring with <"Czech jet lifters and Hamburg Matten Filters">. If you don't want to, can't go down that route, I'd use a <"powerhead and big sponge">.
  • Planted for <"all sorts of reasons">. I wouldn't even attempt to keep Dwarf Cichlid in a tank without established plants. <"Plants are just a no brainer">.......and plenty of moss.
  • <"Fine sand substrate"> and lots of structural leaf litter.
  • <"Coconut caves"> and plenty of them.
  • In terms of the water, you only need to add a very minimal amount of carbonate buffering (dKH), but you need some tannins and humic substances.
  • Bigger tanks, 24" long minimum, height is less relevant.
The last thing, and I'm not trying to be funny here, but just ignore what you are told by most forums (I know this is a forum) and LFS, unless you have one you trust, or Ste Chesters owns <"your local shop">?

cheers Darrel
My rainwater tends to be in the ph range of 4-5. And I've tried collecting some previously; I hardly get any. (I'm in a weather channel, scarcely heavy enough rain or shine, and never any extremes like snow).

I used to use bug bites with mine as well, just seeing whether anyone would recommend anything else.

I planned to use one air pump for the whole system, with air sponges within each segment. And each being divided using sponges.

I'm having some caves made at the moment that have moss on them, enough for two each if needed to then supplement with others that I'll have (like the buddha nuts and coco boats). I also have draws and boxes of ranges of different botanicals and leaves to use.

I have a range of plants to use, although I'd likely go with plants like anubias and java fern, which are easily controlled, maintained, and capable of being removed if needed.

I have over 20kg of sand from a previous tank build that I'll be able to use.

And I don't trust forums, which is why I'm also in contact with well know and high-standard breeders of both rams and apistogrammas to find out how they keep theirs when going for breeding setups.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
My rainwater tends to be in the ph range of 4-5.
If it is really pure rain water the only source of ions is from dissolved CO2 and that does lower the pH below pH7, but you can ignore pH in low conductivity water, it isn't a very useful measurement as you approach pure H2O. Our rainwater is usually about pH7.8, but that is just because it picks up some limestone dust off surfaces.
And I've tried collecting some previously. I hardly get any. (I'm in a weather channel, scarcely heavy enough rain or shine, and never any extremes like snow).
I'm surprised, I could collect 20,000 litres in the winter (from the roof of a typical semi-detached house) if I has storage space. We get about 35" (1000 mm) of rain year, so not a huge rainfall, but twice what Cambridge gets.
I have a range of plants to use, although I'd likely go with plants like anubias and java fern, which are easily controlled, maintained, and capable of being removed if needed.
I mainly used <"Ferns, mosses and Anubias">. Java fern prefers <"harder, more nutrient rich, water"> than I can offer, but Bolbitis heudelotii does really well for me. I'd also really recommend a floating plant, and <"I'm an Amazon Frogbit fanatic">.

cheers Darrel
 

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