Re: rogue's gallery

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

Gary,

What have I been doing right?? I've never had problems with A. steindachneri
(except once). I even had a pair breed and raise about 50 fry in a 5 gallon bare
(small pot and sponge filter only) tank with about 25, 1-1/2 in. (35 mm) long red
platy juveniles. The only problem I ever had with this species is with the yellow
form that I haven't seen in about 15 years. This form had the nastiest males I
ever saw. The dominant male would knock of the other males and then
systematically go about doing the same with females not ready to spawn.
Eventually only one male would be left. The all blue (Wickleri) form was the
best. They'd grow to 4" (10 cm) and the males would display without damaging each
other. I once kept 2 large males and 4 females in a 15 gallon tank that produced
fry like guppies. This form was so common that most dwarf cichlid hobbyists
thought that it was too common for them to keep.  I personally haven't seen this
form in over 10 years - a good reason for a species maintenance program.

My experience with aggies, A. bitaeniata and other harem breeders is that females
eat eggs if the males become "pushy", but are excellent mothers when left
unharassed by the male and other larger fish, nor spooked by sudden lights and
shadows. Perhaps another reason for continuous egg-eating by the female is due to
the wrong water conditions that cause the eggs to die. If the eggs aren't viable,
it's better for the female to get some nourishment out of them and clean up her
breeding site in the process.

Mike Wise.

Frauley/Elson wrote:

> Hello everyone,
> I just recorded yet another eating of wrigglers by my Apisto agassizii
> Alenquer. They are wonder to behold, but terrible parents, having
> spawned and munched at least 15 times. The next time, I'll have to break
> down and pilfer the eggs.
> As I was contemplating this, I thought of something that could be useful
> for the list archives in their various forms. I've seen references to
> steindachneri as chronic egg and fry eaters, but I've only once seen the
> species alive, and have not yet kept it. Agas have always been trouble
> for me.
> Most of my apistos eat their first spawn then settle down. I can say
> this for mcmasteri, veijita, hongsloi, panduro, njisseni, sp rotpunkt,
> caeti, cacatuoides and Apistogrammoides pucallpaensis. For me, agas, sp
> breitbinden, and biteniatum have never raised their fry (like M.
> ramirezi, they all come from blackwater. Hmm. However, I've kept them in
> rainwater, in water values that had tough West African nanochromis
> breeding like rats). Which species have been chronic eggeaters (more
> than four spawns in apparently good conditions) for others on the list?
> It might be something for us all to look at, especially since Apistos
> are so hard to get, and that's a big limiting factor to our learning
> about them species by species.
> -Gary Elson
>
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