# Trying hard and lucky again!Apistos C!



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Well I've had my apisto cacatuodes for a while now and have seen fry with the pair,but never could move the parents in time to save fry(I have 0 fry for my time!).
But today(thank God I brought a flashlight to check) I find the female gaurding the terra cotta pot(2") with a decent amount of fry.They have already hatched(I could see their tales moving) so I figured I would treat them like the GBR that I think I've done well with.Both male and female removed from tank without disturbing the fry so now we need to see if I can raise these guys? Hopefully I can start a Apistogramma cacatuodes breeding journal(these fish are worth $$ where I live!).Besides the $(which never hurts with 1,000 gallons) I do get a sense of pride and achievement.I said it before and I'll say it again(because it's true)my goal is to put back more than I take(I started with 4,this may not be real hard?).


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Good luck!


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

Good luck! Would love pics of the parents


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

Tom I had great results with repashy spawn + grow gel food and keeping water levels lower.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Thanks Dale!I will lower the water.I'm going to try feeding the green water(trying to get some going) and the decapsulated brine shrimp eggs.Since I had such good luck with the GBRs and this I see no sense in changing.I'm not reall sure any of my LFS carry repashy,I have never noticed it yet and i search their freezers.
Most of what I read says mom will care for the fry,but since I have seen fry before and not seperated the parents,and have 0 fry,I pulled the parents yesterday!The fry are still in their terracotta cave(small pot),but I do see their tales moving.I also read that changing them to tap sooner will help growth due to mineral content.Hopefully remineralising my RO/DI(which is what they were bred in{like the GBR}) will work.I recently switched from kent ro right to seachem equillibrium after much research.I really sounded like the seachem product was much better and possibly the kent product was mostly just salt!
Kehy; I'll get pics of the parents up soon.They are good looking fish.My wife always ask why they are downstairs in tank alone instead of in the 180g DT,since they are so beautiful.Now she see's why!Hope fully I get many more.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

I also hope you will succeed.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

So I snapped a pic of my Christmas present and thought pics of the fry(in their pot/cave) would be cool.Too bad they are free swimming as of this am!I am thrilled they are moving about and active.Hopefully my plan for feeding and raising them will work and I can post pics soon of them and their progress(when they're big enough to see{tiny little dust specs like the GBR fry}).


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Nice! My angels started swimming yesterday morning. Though not as cool as your new babies, they are fun! Much different in behavior already than my betta fry were. I would say these are all over the place! 

I hope they eat and grow well for you. I would imagine the hardest part is behind you, now as long as they are eating they should grow and flourish well.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

majerah1 said:


> Nice! My angels started swimming yesterday morning. Though not as cool as your new babies, they are fun! Much different in behavior already than my betta fry were. I would say these are all over the place!


Nice !And just as cool.I would be proud if I was raising fry from any of my angels.Would love to see pics(eventually ) of the "little angels".


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## Wuwuwu54 (Aug 8, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> So I snapped a pic of my Christmas present and thought pics of the fry(in their pot/cave) would be cool.Too bad they are free swimming as of this am!I am thrilled they are moving about and active.Hopefully my plan for feeding and raising them will work and I can post pics soon of them and their progress(when they're big enough to see{tiny little dust specs like the GBR fry}).


We need pictures!!!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Wuwuwu54 said:


> We need pictures!!!


Well I got lucky today and spotted the fry free swimming,which is a little faster than the GBR showed swimming.
First a pic of the parents,who are now in a 20 tall seperated from fry;

The fry were actually swimming around their pot and the sponge filter.

If I see them eat in the next 3 days then I'll have good thoughts the rest of the way.All seems good right now?


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

majerah1 said:


> Nice! My angels started swimming yesterday morning. Though not as cool as your new babies, they are fun! Much different in behavior already than my betta fry were. I would say these are all over the place!
> 
> I hope they eat and grow well for you. I would imagine the hardest part is behind you, now as long as they are eating they should grow and flourish well.


Congratulation


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

coralbandit said:


> So I snapped a pic of my Christmas present and thought pics of the fry(in their pot/cave) would be cool.Too bad they are free swimming as of this am!I am thrilled they are moving about and active.Hopefully my plan for feeding and raising them will work and I can post pics soon of them and their progress(when they're big enough to see{tiny little dust specs like the GBR fry}).


I congratulate you. There are also very beautiful pictures


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

A big cigar to you.

My problem with my cacs has been trying to keep the parents alive. My first pair had fry within a week of being in my tank. The fry lasted about 3-4 weeks, then were gone. Not long after that I lost my male. I waited about another 2 months before replacing the male. The new male and existing female were together about two months with no breeding, and I then lost the female. So I now have just the male and am debating whether to try again with another female, maybe two females?

There is also just one GBR in this 20 gal long tank, which I believe is a female, a couple of otos, one male guppy and one BN baby I am growing out and which will be moved soon.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Rolling with the title;I try to achieve these things,but have to chalk most up to luck.I've read much and most allow parents with fry,since they spawned before and I got 0 fry I pulled the parents as soon as I saw the eggs were hatched.I guess this is 50/50 artificially hatching/raising?If I can't take care of them they will not make it,but I'm not going to eat them!I lost one pair from my original purchases.
I lost my "good" female GBR and have yet to have a spawn again,even with replacements.Here's to being lucky!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

So the original Apisto fry seem to be doing well and growing(still pretty small though).The GBR fry I moved in with them are doing well also and are much smaller.
I thought the Apistos had laid eggs again last week so I moved them ,but no eggs.Today I find fry in the clay pot with momma guarding them.So they have been moved into the 20 long with all the other fry.It will probly be another month before pics would even resemble what they will be, but the apistos are very dark and larger then the GBR ,so telling whose who is not so hard even now.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

That is great news! Seems once they start to breed they do not stop, LOL


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Some day I'll learn to never say never (or in this case 0 fry).While doing a thorough cleaning of the 29 breeding quaters for the adult apistos I find 1 lone suprise!

Here's a pic of the youngest fry (the bob in the pot) with the older fry keeping them company.It is nice to be able to compare sizes as they take some time to grow.

I'll guess the suprise is a month or two old,but honestly have no clue.I also imagine it survived off of regular flake food and blood worms(no special fry food).All my breeder fry tanks are loaded with java moss so it hiding probly wasn't so hard,but the food has to be in large part from the moss.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

Yes, the moss can contain a lot of small animals. After a few days it should be replaced.
For very small young fish, it is the only option.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Today I traded in more of my GBR and I found more than a few apisto fry that had snook in with them!12 (well 11+ the 1 I found with parents) to be specific!)I figured they are ground zero for me having breeding stock ASAP,and seperated them into a 20g by themselves.
The adults were at it this a.m. and the female was laying eggs again!This will be 3 spawns I have been able to "harvest" and think I am well on my way with these guys like the GBR!I am very happy about this without a doubt!
Got some of the powder to make green water and 5 micron golden pearls to add to new born fry food.
Here's a pic of the female this a.m.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

well I must have missed the actual laying of eggs(thought it was happening yesterday),but they have hatched already today or are hatching now!A quick shine of the flashlight shows little tails wiggling and movement.I guess these guys will go into the 20 long with all the others as the 33 long is not ready(still has tap water in it).
So far moving the fry while very young(in the pot with water in a specimen container) has worked very well so I will no longer be moving the parents around and can more easily consolidate the fry.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Congrats, again! Angels have eggs again as well. Once they start ya cant stop em eh? LOL


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I believe they will breed in 15 week long intervals!This is what I read on the discus way back and being SA cichlids I can't see it being too different.They do seem to be breeding very quickly(often).Just drained and prepped the 33 long and pulled the flower pot with new hatchlings,and added them to the 20 long.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

So as I mentioned in the GBR breeding journal the apistos have laid eggs again today!(I thought they looked frisky this am).I never really expected to do so well with egg laying fish especially after seeing how small the fry really are,but these two seem to be extremely happy!I am looking foward to having a good group of future breeders like the GBR and will have to get a couple of breeder tanks set up for them this spring!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Although this was started a long time ago today I traded in 16 of my apistos(less then 1/2).Everyone at the LFS thought they looked great which was pretty pleasing to me.I also got $4 store credit for each!Not a killing or a replacement for work(oh how I wish),but I haven't spent money on fish besides water and electricity in almost 1 year and still have a boat load of credit so I geuss all is good.
I have a couple empty tanks now so I'm trying to get a couple pairs of these guys going again.Both of the parents were retired to my 180 a couple months ago but sadly the female died a month or so after.


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