danval

I think she may have moved them into a cave as you suggested Ryanjury. The eggs may have hatched by now but I still can't tell as I can't see into the cave!. Time will tell.

Cool. Thanks all for your advice. Mum Apisto is still protecting her eggs (the ones i am assuming are there!) coming out every now and then for a snack or just to have a look around. She doesn't seem overly concerned about her eggs but I guess she has little to worry about as I removed the rest of the fish earlier. Amongst the neons I had a few mountain minnow and they must have spawned because I have been seeing the odd fry clinging to the glass. Maybe a tasty morsil for Mrs Apisto....

I wasn't taking the mickey! Have already seen your profile on Tme so was just a genuine mistake.

Haha. :oops: Sorry P44! I can't actually see the eggs but she keeps popping in and out from under the leaf litter so I am assuming all is ok.... All the neons have been removed and she is taken on the distinctive yellow colour. She is quite striking, zipping around, posing with her fins raised.

Sorry don't get yr joke Jennifer? But thanks for the info about the fry

Thanks for that Bilbo. I was just planning on feeding the fry liquifry as I think I read in another post this is what P44 fed her fry. I also have a culture of microwrms that i will feed a little later on. I have never cultured green water. What do you suggest Bilbo?

Thanks Bilbo and P44! Have removed the male (hard to catch!) without disturbing the female. Getting late now so will remove the neons tomorrow. Do I feed her as per normal while she is guarding the eggs?

To answer my own post.... Yay, she must have spawned because the roles have reversed and she is now the agressor, darting out from the leaf litter to ward off the male. She never did turn the typical yellow colour but is paler. Would it be advisable to remove the male now?. Should I also remove the neons as they may eat the fry?

My male and female have disappeared amongst the leaf litter for the last few hours. Could this indicate that they could be spawning? The male is usually out and about all the time but there is no sign of him!

Thanks for that. I think I need a few more plants in my tank as it has minimal plants but heaps of oak leaves to hide in. Can you suggest ideal plants?

Growing quick P44!. What food do you feed to condition the adults?

Yeah. It's the agassizi that I was refering to. Beautiful fish. I would post a pic but I cant seem to get a decent one!

This is from the FAQ section on this site: Can I post images? Yes, images can be shown in your posts. If the administrator has allowed attachments, you may be able to upload the image to the board. Otherwise, you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode tag. Try this one http://register.photobucket.com/

Had a bit of a look but can't see any eggs. They still seem to be courting on and off. She doesn't seem to be as shy as she is coming out more often and the male seems to court for longer before he chases her away.

Yeah, she appears to be doing alot of this but eventually he attacks her and she dives for cover only to appear and approach him cautiously, going through the same process.

Thanks Bilbo. I appreciate your guys experienced advice.

She does not appear to be sticking to any particular area of the tank. Would she not stay with the eggs and tend them?

Hi phoenix44. She has been showing her belly on ocassions but it seems an almost submissive pose and she promptly dives for cover but i will continue to monitor for any retaliation. Thanks.

Ok thanks ryanjury. There is no actual damage to the female at this stage but will keep a close eye on her. Have a few caves already but will add some more plants and maybe another female after next pay as these are $45 dollars each at our local pet store but in saying that they are well worth it as they are full of character and an awesome looking fish!

I think the tank is about 180l and I have a few neons which he occasionally chases around. The leaf litter is quite thick so she has ample hiding places but he is a relentless stalker! When I first introduced her to the tank she was a pale yellow colour but now is darkish with a dark horizontal line down her body.

Hi all. I recently purchased a pair of double reds and they settled into their tank nicely. I recently added oak leaves to lower the PH. The males only purpose in life seems to be to harrass the female constantly. She hides amongst the foliage and merely has to poke her head out and there he is waiting in ambush. He flares from a distance then dives in at her at a hundred miles an hour. Any ideas on what to do other than seperate her to another tank?

Wow! In good hands then!

Nice fish and excellent photos!

Great pics Jennifer. I just googled to see what the adults look like and they seem to vary in colour but very beautiful!. Is there many of these around or are they quite rare here in N.Z.?

I think the main concern here is the fact that he got them into the country so easily. The method he used was a non sophisticated one so I would hate to see what other sophisticated smugglers would be capable of bringing in!. The fact that he got caught was great but imagine the animal had been released into the wild, was pregnant and able to tolerate the NZ climate.... I think security needs to be reviewed in the wake of this incident.