Bed Time for Babies

["Brown, Victoria: TMI" <Brown.Victoria@ic.gc.ca>]

Jason wrote,
> Will a female apisto take her brood back to her cave each night, or
> will she herd them around the tank all night. I am going to put a
> shrimp pellet in for the fry to nibble at during the night, but I was
> wondering where I should put it.
>

Hi Jason,,

My mothers seem to know what time it is. I turn off all the tank lights
at 9 pm, every night.I have a brine shrimp hatcher in my fish room with
a light on it, so the room never really gets totally dark.

At about 8:45 the mothers start gathering their kids and start to herd
them into their little half circle flower pots for the night. Sometimes
the more adventurous fry, don't wanna go to bed, and the mother ends
up picking them up in her mouth, and makes them go to bed. The whole process
usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes to get the kids settled down for the
night.
The mothers always put the babies in the back of the pot and kind sheild the
entrance to the pot with their bodies. In the morning, the females usually
have the kids up and swimming around, by the time I am ready to feed them
their
brine shrimp breakfasts.

I keep the mothers and their babies in 5 gallon tanks, each family to their
own tank. I use corner box/air filters in these tiny tanks and tronic 50
heaters.
The tanks have gravel in them and these perfect little clay pots for
Apistos.
These tanks get a 20% water change every day to keep them nice and clean.
I give each mother two pots and I have found that the mothers clean them out
alternately, if the babies are in one pot, one night, she will clean the
other out by sweeping the flat floor with her fins. It seems like the
mothers, like to have a nice clean bed for the babies every night.

If you want perfect Apisto pots go to White Rose or a craft store like that.
These little clay pots, are a semi circle. Except for the entrance, they are
fully enclosed. They have a nice flat floor, and a domed roof. Perfect for
spawning couples, my Apistos always pick these pots over the type that tiny
cactus come in. They come in two sizes, a 1 1/2 inch one and a 3 inch one.
Dirt cheap at 33 cents for the small and 66 cents for the large, (CDN).

I leave each species of Apisto, in their own community tank, once species to
tank.
I have about 20 of these pots in each community. When I see a mother who is
guarding
one of these pots, I pick the pot out of the community tank, pot, eggs and
mother,
into a 5 gallon tank. The mothers stay right in their pots when I move them.
The mothers are all used to this ritual, and peek out the top of the pot
when I move them. I have never had a female jump out when i move them
either.
I then, place her little pot into the 5 gallon tank, and she then has
peace and quiet to raise her young.

I have been doing this now for 2 years, and I have found it works just
great!


Also, once a mother has her babies settled in bed for the night they won't
come
out till the morning. I have never seen fry eat anything at night. The moms
keep
them in bed till it's morning. I find the moms keep the babies in bed at
night
for at least 2 weeks, some even longer. So, they don't need any food at all,
through the night.

Vicky the Apisto Addict
GRINZZZZZZ


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