wild alti types

[Frauley/Elson <fraulels@minet.ca>]

Hi,
David, your response is the kind of thing that makes this list such an
excellent resource. Thanks.
You asked about set-ups - here goes.
I started out trying crowding. The first few spawns of these fish were
in tapwater (pH 7.4, 140 ppm) communities, with lots of H bleheri and
young apistos. The eggs fungused almost immediately after being
deposited on flat rocks at the front of the heavily planted tank.  
I moved them to a 20 long with Dicrossus maculatus, as it's easier to
supply smaller tanks with soft water, which I took to be the key. They
spawned every few weeks, guarded very poorly and always had bad eggs by
day two. I tried water values ranging from 20 to 60ppm. They guarded
like Cleithracara maronii used to for me, kind of 'stupidly'.
My closest 'luck' came recently, in a totally different set-up. I have 2
males and a female. I put them in a 15 gallon tank with a playground
sand substrate (the other tanks all had relatively fine gravel). The
tank is dimly lit, but has a lot of java moss and bolbitis on the
bottom, and floating elodea. Filtration is a giant homemade sponge.
There were no dithers.
I use similar set-ups for wild apistos. Water was at approx 40ppm, pH at
6.0 and temp temp at 78-79f (26C). After lots of whiteworms, the usual
pair dug a large (4 inch round), deep crater nest under an overhang of
slate and java moss. A week later, they spawned on a flat rock at the
front. The female covered the eggs in sand and guarded them with more
vigour than I'd seen before. A lot still fungused (some could be seen
among the sand grains). A small number of wrigglers began to hatch over
several hours, after only 40 or so hours. The male guarded them while
the female stayed with the unhatched eggs. They didn't go into the pit,
which seemed to have no practical use, but rather into small depressions
dug quickly in an area of the tank with oak leaf litter. 
The pair defended the area from both the extra male, and a pair of
hongsloi in the adjoining tank, but nothing made it to swimming.
So that's my sad story. I reckon I'll keep the water changes coming,
feed them well and see what comes, but any ideas would be appreciated. 
Beyond the slight marking difference between this fish and altispinosa,
I find a major character difference. These fish are infinitely more
timid than any altispinosa I've kept or watched, especially when they
spawn.
-Gary


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