Re: Apisto beginner

["ALEX PASTOR" <alexp@idirect.com>]

A. cacatoides is also a harem spawner.

The smallest aquarium I have ever used for one pair is a 30 gallon.  If
there was only one female, she would beat the dickens out of the male unless
there were dither fish around.  I had 6 wild neon tetras with them and they
did a spectacular job of picking off babies.
IMHO the sizes of your potential apisto tanks are not large enough if you
plan to do more than have your fish spawn.  There are many people who take
the eggs away from the mother, I _never_ do.  As a result, I keep the mother
with her fry until she no longer pays positive attention to them.  Then I
take the mother out.

If you keep the male in the tank, when the female is ready to spawn again
she will likely eat the existing brood in order to get rid of what she
perceives, at that time, to be danger to her newer brood.

If you actually want to raise fish, you will need a lot more tank space.
Also, crowding of juveniles interferes with their rate of growth.  I had 30
borellii in a 30 gallon tank.  (Now down to 12- rest sold.  I did not start
with these fish because I wanted to sell the kids.  I had no ideas about
them whatsoever.)  They are now 8 months old.  They have 10 brothers and
sisters in a 120 gallon tank which are now 3 months old, and getting bigger
than the older ones.

Cacatoides, mercifully, grow faster.  I put four month old  batches of 30
fry into a 65 gallon tank and they grew to almost adult size in two months.
It's a lot of work to raise as many fry as possible.  If you just want to
raise a few, and cull the rest via dither fish, it's  a lot easier.  That's
what I do now.

My original cacatoides parents were "wild caught" blues.  The male behaved
as per the books.  He would guard food and not allow anyone near it.  The F1
s don't do that.  Right now I have only one beautiful male in the 65, with
three females (two have broods) along with cardinals and pygmy corys.  (otos
don't count, they won't bother babies).  He is a very mild mannered chap
compared to his father.

You have to watch breeders carefully and make sure you can provide a refuge
for the male.

G. Kadar


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