Andrew, I would suggest a substrate of Fluorite by Seachem. It is kinda expensive but very attractive and great for plants. -----Original Message----- From: afaust@ghcp.com [mailto:afaust@ghcp.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 1999 9:24 AM To: apisto@listbox.com Subject: unexpected fry Hi all, just a quick note to share my recent experiences: I'm moving to my recently-purchased house, so last night I started transferring my A.sp.'rio mamore' and their companion silver-tipped tetras to a 10-gal tank for transporting the 15 blocks to my our place. I got all the big rocks and driftwood out, and while chasing down my female apisto I was suprised to see a whole gaggle of babies, of varying sizes. I've known the momma was hiding for quite some time, I even saw her one day with a couple of fry. But I've been very busy and haven't had the time or inclination to separate them out, so I figured they all became lunch for the larger fish. The other consideration is, due to my preoccupation with other things in my life, I haven't cared very well for my tank - i.e. no water changes for a long time. I was feeling pretty bad about that until I saw all those babies yesterday. So anyway, I'm wondering how to catch all the little buggers. I've fashioned a trap out of a plastic bottle with an inverted top, but I'm not sure how to induce them to enter. Frozen bbs? Also, I've now got the chance to start fresh with my 25gal, so I've decided to do away with all the rocks, and stick with driftwood and plants. Going to start using a big sponge filter too. I'll lose some of the visual drama, but cleaning the tank ought to be easier. I'm also going to get a little clay pot for the momma; I've seen her patch of eggs only once with my current setup. Any suggestiong on the 'ideal' substrate? This is to be a living-room tank, so a bare bottom is probably not desirable. The beauty part of it is, the 10gal that I 'had' to buy to transport the fish in, can now become my fry growout tank! What a coup! ____________________________________________________________ Andrew Faust ____________________________________________________________ get paid for the hours you and your friends surf the web: http://alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=drt646 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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"! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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"!