Go for it,

I'd suggest taking the "dad" out for his own safety.

Like the missus, :oops: Mum can be a bit stroppy..

I hope there are eggs there for you ktttk as a spawning so soon after purchase is always a bonus..

The water change was probably sufficient to trigger the urge.

Good luck, and keep the "CIGARS" handy. :lol:

congrats ktttk (if suspicions confirmed)

You know I'd wish that dead and dieing fish were the worst thing I saw at the LFS here. I don't know how many times I've seen 2 bettas in one tank, generaly one on the bottom not looking to hot both with shreded fins. I honestly don't think the empolyes open there eyes when they dump fish in tanks sometimes.

The female has spawned. I tried to take some pics but the tank is not well lit.. excuse the bad quality and yes, the glass needs a bit of a clean.

She chose to use the hole in the brick as her nesting site.

Here she is patrolling her brick..

I came home this afternoon to find that the eggs were no longer in the brick and she was patrolling the top of the driftwood in the pic below. I think the eggs must have hatched and she has moved the wrigglers to a hole in the top of the driftwood behind the java moss. Fingers crossed there will be free swimming fry in the next few days..

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Dont think you've got out of handing the cigars out too soon.

I have had a pair of fish spawn and within 2hrs they moved the eggs to another site. They stayed at that site for a day and once again were on the move.

keep a regular check on them. As the parenting instinct with N. annomalus is extremely strong, she wont give up on her eggs or fry, just keep the live food up to her.

Keep me in mind when you're selling. 8)

Thanks Amazonian.

As the parenting instinct with N. annomalus is extremely strong, she wont give up on her eggs or fry, just keep the live food up to her.

That is good to hear - The female is constantly tending her new nest site and occasionally patrols the tank. Is always good to see a fish demonstrate strong parenting skills. Thats why I have taken a liking to keeping cichlids - especially the smaller ones like the dwarfs and the medium sized firemouths. I can sit there for ages and watch the female lead her brood of young around the tank.

Awsome stuff again.

The fish look real good, good luck with the spawn.

It is written, that the parenting instinct is so strong that if she was to loose her fry, and you put Daphnia into the tank she would herd the Daphnia as though it was her fry. 8)

She will also take on the eggs and fry of another dwarf. The book doesn' t say which dwarf's she would tend, but I suspect other N. annomalus.

Go for it. :lol:

Good luck.

Cichlids quite often take care of fry that is not theirs. Sharn showed me a thread on simply discus the other day where an apple snail was raising a batch of discus fry, and another person had a discus pair raising angelfish fry, the angelfish fry were even eating the mucus secreted by the discus. Quite a lot of apistogramma breeders will 'give' a batch of eggs to a female they know is good at raising babies. I thought that was quite amazing, and a good way of getting a batch of fry or two going well. If your A. sp. pebas get breeding and they eat their eggs, perhaps you could try putting your female nannacara in with a batch of pebas eggs and see what happens? would be a neat little experiment.

If your A. sp. pebas get breeding and they eat their eggs, perhaps you could try putting your female nannacara in with a batch of pebas eggs and see what happens? would be a neat little experiment.

Interesting idea Antwan - but I have to wait for them to spawn first. I can understand giving the female Nannacara a bunch of free swimming apisto fry and she might take them in.. but how would you get the female to recognise a bunch of apisto eggs? I guess firstly, you would have to make sure the nannacara is in the middle of a spawn and somehow add the apisto eggs to her bunch?

Sometimes that's not the case at all which is amazing! The female could not have eggs/wigglers/fry at all, and then be given another species eggs, and she would tend to them like her own! Your pebas look really great ktttk, awesome colour on them. I think mine will be spawning in the next day or so, cos they're looking extra friendly

I think mine will be spawning in the next day or so, cos they're looking extra friendly

Thats good to hear. I have put one of the females who is turning quite yellow into her own breeding tank and condiitioning her on blood worms and white worms. Out of my group of 10, I think there are only 2 females.. :-?. They tend to be the smaller than the others. What am I gonna do with all these males.. ?

Chuck them in the private trade and exchange, or trademe. Male apistos seem to sell well because they're colourful, and if you say they're F1's I'm sure you'll get a bit more interest.

Well done. Didnt take long.

How are they going ktttk?

Hey guys.. bit of a late update, have been a little busy lately.

The female is doing a really good job of guarding the fry and herding them around the tank. I saw them at the free swimming stage about 3 days ago. They are in a 2 foot tank with a small BN. I am feeding them brine shrimp twice a day and they are eating well.

From this pic, I count about 50 of the little ones.

Heres mum leading the little ones to the floating plants for a snack. Note the brine-shrimp-filled orange bellies.

Keep up the good work.

They are coming on a treat and are "Lookin Good".

Keep up the good work.

They are coming on a treat and are "Lookin Good".

Thanks AMAZONIAN!

Now i just have to keep up with the brine shrimp hatching..

VERY nice work mate, I just couldn't resist, so I went and bought a pair of these today, awesome fish.

Good on ya Antwan - they are a cool fish to have. Good luck with them!

Wow...good work on the fry! Mine had laid eggs a week ago too but I wasn't as lucky. The eggs disappeared..(well..eaten by the female I guess) Can I get some help from you KtttK? Maybe some info like your ph, nitrate levels..? And what fish do you have in the tank with the nannas? Thanks guys!