dig this: sand and lifestyle issues in Apistos

[GaryofMontreal]

There are a couple of ways to know if our Apistos have spawned, since they like to deposit their eggs out of sight. In a small tank, one or more dither fish will show up dead. That's a rough one.
In better conditions, the female will turn yellow - and then really yellow. Really yellow varies by species - my barlowi go a translucent lemon, borellii can go muddy yellow, most species go bright yellow with sharp definitions on their black markings (on the ventrals, the black is used in signalling the fry).
Or, you can have a sandy substrate and see this:1635

This is a nest being guarded by a female Apistogramma sp Rio Jutai. I won't see her until either the eggs die, or hatch. Digging is really important for these fish.
Interestingly, West African dwarf cichlids do the same thing, and one, the beautiful Congo Nanochromis transvestitus seems to have incorporated excavation directly into its courtship ritual.

[MDahms]

Very cool. I recently saw a photo of one of the African rift lake species that had taken all of the sand in the tank and built it up in the corner into what resembled a volcanoes crater. Cichlids certainly have interesting behaviors.
So far my two Apistos don't seem to be on the best of terms with the female spending time in and around her cave and the male claiming most of the leaf litter. He often chases her from his area, hopefully they will be compatible.

Mike

[CACAdmin]

They certainly have interesting behaviors. Neat pic. What parental care follows the hatching of the eggs?

[GaryofMontreal]

Over the course of about two weeks, the female will herd around a gaggle of 50 to 200 fry. She keeps them organized, leads them to food, uses her ability to sense oxygen levels to keep them out of dead zones, finds them places to sleep and protects them. Often, she'll take them in her mouth, one by one, to either move them or to possibly clean them.
If you put your huge human hand in, she will attack it. Most females will run from no danger when they have young. They'll use their ventrals to signal the young to dive, and they'll stay with them to help them hide, or they'll challenge the attacker.
Males sometimes herd young as well. Some of them wander off or even attack the fry (usually at the cost of their own lives in a small tank - females know how to kill them with one good shot) but many are part of the show. They too defend the gaggle, and will defend the nest as well in some species. Parenting varies from male to male.
After a couple of weeks, all bets are off and the young get dumped. The pair spawns again and any young that approach the nest are killed. You have to time removing them carefully. If the male gets into spawning mode before the female, he may run at the fry and get killed, or start a fight in which they both die.
The adults get better at guarding and leading with every spawn. They learn.

[tigerbarb420]

Fascinating! I can't wait to enjoy these experiences one day!

Do you ever remove the male?

[GaryofMontreal]

I used to remove males, but in the last few years I kept them, I took the view that since behavior is a lot of the appeal, I didn't see much use in raising fish where half their genes were from disfunctional parents. I found that once I stopped using tanks that were too small, I rarely saw problems anyway.
The danger zone is the first spawn, especially if you misjudge removing the fry. It's not much use removing one partner, because the mother will lose interest and then become aggressive to the juveniles too. Apistos grow up fast - the parents figure they're grown up at 2-3 weeks. They don't let them live in the basement - they just eat them. It's easier to net as many fry as you can raise and raise them apart.

[tigerbarb420]

Apistos grow up fast - the parents figure they're grown up at 2-3 weeks. They don't let them live in the basement - they just eat them.

Bhahahahahahah :laugh: :laugh: that made me laugh.

[CACAdmin]

Apistos grow up fast - the parents figure they're grown up at 2-3 weeks. They don't let them live in the basement - they just eat them.
:rofl: And to think our human offspring figure they've got it rough when we boot them out the door once they've reached adulthood. :rolleyes:

[Namor]

West African dwarf cichlids do the same thing, and one, the beautiful Congo Nanochromis transvestitus seems to have incorporated excavation directly into its courtship ritual.

Some humanoids might equate this as "digging ones own grave". :twitcy:

All kidding aside, that's fascinating behavior, and when the day comes, my next tank will be for sand sifters of some sort.

[GaryofMontreal]

Uh oh, that spawn didn't work. The couple is not happy tonight - lots of scrapping. I suppose it makes sense - she spent 4 days walled in in a cave with a pile of failing eggs, while he hung around outside drinking like a fish.
We'll see what's up. I always give it a second spawning before i worry about water, etc. They're young.

[CACAdmin]

That's too bad, Gary. Hopefully the next attempt will be more successful.