phoenix44 Posted August 11, 2010 Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 yeah, she will come out to eat. then feed her. dont disturb the tank too much, but definitely kick the tetras out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted August 11, 2010 Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 Yes just feed her normally. This has never happened to me but I have heard that you don’t feed her daphnia, its funny to start with because sometimes they gather them all up and guard them like fry but it mostly ends badly when she eats one and then will eat all the rest including the actual fry. If you are even 50% sure you have eggs or young coming then get your food cultures ready now. Starvation kills more fry than almost anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 ....this is what P44 fed her fry. Maybe someone needs to go back to using their own portrait as their avatar... I use mature java moss that they feed off and I supplement with microworms and baby brine shrimp from day 8 after hatching (they don't need much of anything before then as they are still absorbing the yolk sac). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 Sorry don't get yr joke Jennifer? But thanks for the info about the fry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 P44 is a guy Although I have heard disturbing stories about drag but we won't go there.. Sounds like some good advice on the fry and raising them, in a mature tank they will find stuff to pick at when they are younger anyway but java moss is always a great place to start Good luck and keep us posted, I hope your female is a good mum and not an egg eater.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 I AM NOT A WOMAN!!! so what if it takes me 10 minutes to make my hair proper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 I wasn't taking the mickey! Have already seen your profile on Tme so was just a genuine mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 My recommendation is newly hatchedbrine shrimp 3 - 5 times a day and adding paramecium to the tanks so the fry can snack on them between meals. But I didn't have paramecium when I last had apisto fry so newly hatched brine shrimp, a little bit of microworms sometimes and loads of moss or any other plants or leaf litter. I think P44 did a fantastic job with his and maybe part of his success was all the glosso that he had in the bottom that would have been swarming with microorganisms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 you got it . I also used moss to trap all the extra particulate matter and they hid in that. When they hatched and lost the egg sac they were far too small to eat brine shrimp, so for the first couple of weeks I put a few drops of liquifry in a syringe and added water. then it became a cloudy solution and i squirted that on the fry and they ate it. once they were big enough, i did the same thing - only using decap BS and leaving it to soak in the syringe for 20 mins or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2010 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.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted August 13, 2010 Report Share Posted August 13, 2010 It certainly sounds like she has some eggs hidden somewhere in there. You will notice her loose interest if she eats them, but be careful because they do move them so she may start showing interest in another area of the tank instead. Lol she will probably try and round up the WCMM fry along with her own That is always funny to see.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2010 As of yesterday afternoon the fry were alive and well as I managed to spot them with a torch, wriggling around in the undergrowth being attended by mum. I now have my doubts whether any still survive as mums demeanor has changed. She has become skittery and moving very slow but seems to frighten easily. She has lost her bright yellow colour. Everything was going well yesterday but alas........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 15, 2010 Report Share Posted August 15, 2010 yeap, just leave her be. When the egg sac gets consumed you can start microworms, or liquifry and you'll be sweet. is the male out the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2010 Is this normal behaviour P44? She may be sick of the attention I have been giving her.... And yes I have removed the male a while back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 The fry that I thought I had lost have now appeared free swimming with their mum!. I have cultured green water in small 375g jars. How often and how much of this should I feed? The tank is approx 180l. Also when should I start doing water changes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 18, 2010 Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 Feed them from 2-3 times a day in small - moderate quantities. you can see the food in their bellies. That's also why i used liquifry - cause its white and easy as to see, especially when they eat it. I didn't do any water changes, but that was because i had good filtration and it was in a planted tank, and plants tend to sort out water quality. I would do water changes when you see there is extra food at the bottom and that is going off. I just let the glosso cover it and use it as nutrient. Is this normal behaviour P44? She may be sick of the attention I have been giving her.... sorry, didn't see that. but yeah its pretty normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted August 18, 2010 Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 The fry that I thought I had lost have now appeared free swimming with their mum!. I have cultured green water in small 375g jars. How often and how much of this should I feed? The tank is approx 180l. Also when should I start doing water changes? Good work As phoenix has suggested just feed until they are full, if you stick it in a syringe and squirt it in their direction it can work better, the great thing about green water is it is natural so harder to foul the tank with overfeeding it. In an established tank the fry will find all sorts of stuff to munch out on anyway.. If you want to keep the fry you can also consider siphoning some/all of them off at any stage from now, yes they do go better with the mother but then you run the risk that she might eat them. Some are good (and yours has been great so far) but some are bad and there is only one way to find out what sort of mum they will be. But nothing worse than having free swimming fry, leaving all of them with the mum and then having her eat them only to loose one of the pair or never have them breed again.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 18, 2010 Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 I wouldn't recommend separating the parent from the babies. The amount of work she will actually do will amaze you. I know there is no way I could spend all day cleaning the babies and freeing them from trapped detritus. not to mention the babies are far too tiny. But you can if you want to I guess. I had a 100% survival rate leaving the mother in the tank, so try it out and see what happens. The only 1 baby I lost was when I removed the mother and the baby swam up high and swam right into the filter. The mother won't let the swim high up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 Thanks guys for all your advice! It is a lot easier reading your guys tips than trying to sort through info off the net. Mum is currently guarding her brood of anything between 50 to 80 fry. They seem to be foraging amongst the leaf litter. Some have large white bellies, from the liquify I guess, but some don't appear to have eaten much. Will see how they go over the coming weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 18, 2010 Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 And if you're ever in doubt, take her out. That's a lot of fry to lose. I think with larger groups of fry, she will pick out the small weak ones and the faster growing babies will eat the small ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted August 18, 2010 Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 With a batch that size I would setup a small tank and siphon some off, that way if she does decide to have a munch you have some fry to grow out and potentially replace your pair if they expire.. I have heard these guys aren't on the wholesale list anymore so they may become difficult to find, especially ones as good as the ones in this batch.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danval Posted August 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2010 Thanks for that Ryan but I don't have a spare suitable tank set up and mum is doing a good job for now. (fingers crossed). This morning upon turning on the tank light I noticed mum apisto enter the cave and appeared a moment later with her mouth bulging with fry which she spat on a leaf. She entered the cave a further 5 times, the last time she spat out 1 fry. Amazing to watch!. The fry appeared lifeless, obviously still half asleep but are now back to foraging so that's my cue to get them some grub! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.