Spawning

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

Reading this thread with great interest, and figured add my .02 cents worth.

Angels first,,

I got 4 super veil tail gold morph angels, at about 2 1/2 inch
body diameter,  from my friendly fish shop. Put them into a 20 gallon,
heavily planted tank till they started to push each other around.
2 started to become great friends and double teamed the other two.
A Pair!! I exclaimed, and moved them into a 15 gallon heavily  planted
tank for themselves. Both tanks running my typical apisto water with
ph about 6.4 to 6.6 and 50ppm. Well, I musta had the fishy gods smiling
on me, cause I ended up with 2 mated pairs. First pair that I
moved to the 15 gallon, ended up spawning about 2 weeks later, first
spawn, and did great. They now have a whole pile of fat little angel babies
just starting to look like mom and dad, (at least 150 of them), all swarming
around their tank, and the whole family are happy campers.

The second pair remained in the 20 gallon tank, and ended up spawning
about 2 weeks after the first pair. These 2 filled 3 leaves on a
amazon sword with eggs, and didn't do a very good job. Most eggs
weren't fertilized and turned into fuzz leaves. But Mom and Dad,
watched the fuzzy mess, and picked out afew fry that hatched out,
and moved them to a pre cleaned leaf. They fussed over these 20 or
so fry, and took great care of them until the fry went freeswimming.
Then they munched them. They spawned about 3 weeks later, same gig,
few eggs fertilized, and picked the fry out of the mess. This time,
about 3 times as many fry. But same deal again, fussed about them till
fry wanna go swimming, then munch. Today, they are cleaning leaves
again, and will spawn, probably this weekend. Wonder how they will do
this time.

My Cacatuoides, are interesting. Some mothers the very first spawn, raise 
the fry, no problems, and would live with them forever, if it came to be.
Other mothers, do great with wrigglers, and move them 2 or three times
from pot to pot until they go free swimming. Then they munch them.
Other mothers, eat the eggs, before they even hatch. I find the munchers,
though after this first spawn do better the next spawn. Sometimes they
take 3 or 4 spawns to get it right. Maybe it's a experience thing, and
the more timid the mother is, the more likely she is to munch her young.
I generally find the mothers who are very calm and will come out to see
me make better mothers. If my fish beg at the surface when they see me
they always raise their babies. I have been noticing this more and more.
The more uptight the female is, the more likely she will munch her
offspring.

I just thought I'd add this to the thread,

OHHH guess what???!!!

I am getting a colony of Lamprologus Multifasciatus, given to me
from my good friend, who gave me all the Apistos, when I started
out 3 years, ago. I am starting to buffer the water in a 10 gallon
tank this weekend. The tank tested at 6.4 yesterday,, long way to
go to 8.5. Using Tanganyika buffer stuff from Seachem, should be
interesting to see if I can get a stable PH of 8.5 happening.
Going to fish stores around here this weekend for dead snails, for
the shells. I kinda fear this experiment a bit,, I have no room
for any more tanks,, looking at furniture, now (hmm,, do i really
need a couch??)(ummm,, a bed???),,

uhhhohhhhhhhh!!!
ohhhhhnoooooooo!!!!

Vicky the Cichlididiot




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