spawning behavior

[Kathy Olson <kathy@thekrib.com>]

Hi everyone,
been gone from the list for awhile, but back again...I still have not
waded through the over 2100 apisto messages in my apisto box, that will
have to wait for another day.

Last I was on the list we had just brought back over 100 fish, mostly
apisto's from our amazon trip to the Rio Negro and Rio Solimoes.

Some of the tanks I did as species tanks, some had a few species, to
several.  It has been a blast watching spawning behavior.  This was not my
ideal way to keep this guys, but with time constraints, and a husband who
would rightly kill me if I set up anymore, it had to do.

Usually I have spawned apisto's in pair groups in 10-40' gallon tanks.

With this it has been 15 A. sp Gelbwagen in a 40.

What I have now noticed is a different pattern of behavior for the males.
Usually they are just mean guys I have to pull occasionally when a female
spawns.  However with such a high fish density I noticed new male
behavior.
The female guards the fry and
the male does an outer perimeter guard and they act very much as a pair,
guarding the fry, I have even had one male take guarding duty and let the
female eat.  Very pair oriented, doing a double guard perimeter on the
fry.  Beautiful to watch.
This was all with the wild caught fish...

Interesting also with some f2 steindachneri fry I dumped into a 60 gallon
with some 3 inch splash tetras, wild caught C. amazonarum, and an
undescribed species of hoplo cats, also did the same fry guarding
behavior.  Fantastic to see.....and enlighting on possible behavior in the
wild.  This was also in the tank where the C. amazonarum decided the
didn't like missing a meal when I was gone and ate my school of 10, 2 year
old rummy nose tetras, the steindach's did great until the big guys
spawned....

Anyone else observe this or studied it???

It came about not quite the right way....do to lack of tank space on my
part, but it was interesting

....on another note....for those of you that heard my prior gibbiceps
spawning stories....neglect was good for them....now with several spawns
including two in the same tank....

yiks!!!    Definitely brimming over with more fish and fry then I know
what to do with....have been lucky to have several other species spawn
despite neglect, even nijsseni raising double spawns in the same tank, a
new one for the mean guys for me.


Kathy





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