Re: Panduro questions still-

[BigJohnW@webtv.net (John Wubbolt)]

Hello Bob
I have 2 pairs of Panduro's.   They seem to have a mind of their own, in
other words they don't always want to appear like the book says they
should look.   Very often my males lose the triangle black mark at the
caudal peduncle.    When they want to spawn it reappears.   Also my
females are always yellow and don't always have the black blotch on the
belly.   That appears to come and go with mood.   The closer they come
to spawning the more intense the black markings become with the yellow
being really bright yellow then too.   As for a pH of 7.4 that does
sound high and is probably why your pair that spawned didn't have viable
eggs.  I keep my pairs in a pH of around 6.5 and this works really well
for me.   Even Nijsenni which many people say need really acidic water
spawn and do well for me in a pH of 6.5.   My hardness in my water is
between 50 to 60 ppm.
I don't use an R/O unit because of naturally soft water, but most of my
apistos find this to be fine.    The only fish that I think I really
need to play with my water for is my Dicrossus Maculatus.   They pH in
the tank when they spawned was around 6.8 and I think that's why the
eggs fungused up for me.   Other then those guys all of my apistos have
spawned for me in tap water with viable fry from each of them.   I would
try lowering the pH in your tank and see if that brings you any
different results. 
Oh and by the way, many times I have smaller males spawning with bigger
females.   I guess size doesn't matter for apistos.
   
John



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