Re: rogue's gallery

[IDMiamiBob@aol.com]

Gary Elson writes:

> 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.

For me on the other hand, aggies have been ideal parents from the first spawn.
Same with steindachneri, borellii, and bitaeniata.  Recently I have tried with
zero success to get both cacatoides and panduro to tend fry, with every spawn
but one lost before or just after hatching.  These parents are from lines that
have been allowed to tend fry, so it is not some genetic degeneration of the
parenting instinct.  I suspect that it may have something to do with either
the local water or my setups, as I lived in Buffalo when I was having luck,
and now reside in Boise.  I am convinced there are "triggers" that we have not
yet identified, which account for the fish eating or tending the fry.  I would
not give up on your aggies just yet, though I would recommend you save a spawn
or two once in a while to keep them available in your fish room.

You might try changing the conditions in your tanks.  For example, when I
lived back east, all my spawning tanks were painted black on the back and one
side.  This is something the local killie keepers almost always did.  The only
spawn I have had luck getting my cacatoos to tend were in a thirty gallon with
a black back.  The logic behind this has to do with making the fish feel safe.
The fella in Welland, Ontario that I got my borrellii from had no luck even
getting them to spawn.  The only significant difference between his tanks and
mine were a black back, the presence of java moss, and I had black gravel
where he used white sand.  They spawned for me in a week after I brought them
home.  

Hardness and dissolved minerals in the two water supplies are different.  I
think that there is significantly more silicate here in Idaho.  I'm going to
get an RO unit someday, and see if that makes a difference.

If you're using a UGF, try slowing down the flow.  Try finer gravel, darler
gravel, more live plants, particularly java moss.  Maybe the presence of
infusoria in the tank, which can be promoted by java moss, is something the
fish can see.  Lack of infusoria or fresh water rotifers would tell the
parents that the fry will starve, so they would eat the eggs or fry in order
to preserve the food and energy which the eggs represent.

Maybe someone who is having trouble can try getting a culture of paramecia or
euglena going, and introduce some regularly to the tank.  Daphnia and
microworms might also work.  I am currently running six tanks spread out in a
small apartment shared with my own four posterities, and don't have room for a
lot of experimentation.

When I visited Dave Soares a couple years ago, he had java moss, java fern,
and algae everywhere.  His success rate is legendary, and he never pulls the
eggs, siphoning off the fry when they are 3-5 days old.

Bob Dixon


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