Re: first spawning stories?

[BigJohnW@webtv.net (John Wubbolt)]

Well I'll bite on first apisto spawning.   It was around 5 years ago
when I found a fellow club member was keeping several apistos and had
some for sale.   I ended up buying a pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides
and a pair of Nannacara Anomola.    I set them up in 10 gallon tanks
side by side, with a thin layer of gravel, 2 medium sized clay flower
pots turned on their sides and each was powered by Whisper C power
filters ( this was before I discovered hydro sponges) .    I fed them
mostly tetra bits, good tetra ruby flake food and live baby brine shrimp
as their main diet foods.
About a month goes by and I notice the female Cacatuoides was real
bright yellow.   She was about 1inch at this time, male was a double red
color form ( father to all generations of Cacatuoides I still keep
today) and was about 2 inches now.   The next day the female was sitting
under a clutch of bright red eggs around 40 or so in number.   A few
days later, they were wigglers now in the bottom of the flower pot,
several days later they were up and swimming around.   I left the fry
which numbered an even 30 with the adults for around 1.5 months.   Then
I set up a new tank for the adults so they could spawn again.   My water
conditions were a pH of around 6.5, 60 ppm hardness and a temperature
around 78 F.   When the fry grew out I ended up with 26 males and 4
females,  I was happy that I had 4 females and set up 2 pairs from this
batch of fry to continue as my breeding stock.   I was the happiest
little camper at my clubs annual auction when I sold my first 2 pairs of
Cacatuoides.   I don't remember what I got for them but I was happy that
people kept looking at MY fish.   That first batch of fry got me hooked
into apistos.   I since then have spawned around 17 different species.
I'm hooked on these little guys forever.   I don't know what right or
wrong things I did, as far as I'm concerned I did things right because I
ended up with fry.   Sorry for rambling on so long.

John Wubbolt



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the apistogramma mailing list, apisto@listbox.com.
For instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get help,
email apisto-request@listbox.com.
Search http://altavista.digital.com for "Apistogramma Mailing List Archives"!