Apastogrammas

[Erica27]

Hello, so my apistogrammas have been hiding in a rock for a couple days now. Does this mean they spawned in it? Also it’s a very long and tall rock so if so how should I get it out of the tank?

 

[Colin_T]

Are both fish (male and female) hiding in the cave or only the female?

Male Apistogrammas normally patrol the neighbourhood and keep intruders away from the nest, while the females fan the eggs in the cave.

If they have bred, you leave them alone to look after the eggs and babies. Apistogrammas are very good parents and will normally raise their young without any interference from people. The babies can be fed on newly hatched brineshrimp as soon as they start swimming about.

The following link has information on hatching brineshrimp eggs and culturing other foods for baby fish. Brineshrimp nauplii and microworms are great foods for newborn cichlids.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448304/

 

[Erica27]

Both the male and female are in the tank, but they are in a community tank so I was thinking I could possible but then in a 30 gallon I have to give them some peace.

 

[Erica27]

Are both fish (male and female) hiding in the cave or only the female?

Male Apistogrammas normally patrol the neighbourhood and keep intruders away from the nest, while the females fan the eggs in the cave.

If they have bred, you leave them alone to look after the eggs and babies. Apistogrammas are very good parents and will normally raise their young without any interference from people. The babies can be fed on newly hatched brineshrimp as soon as they start swimming about.

The following link has information on hatching brineshrimp eggs and culturing other foods for baby fish. Brineshrimp nauplii and microworms are great foods for newborn cichlids.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish.448304/

I thought they were both in there but now that I look I’m starting to see the male stick his head out of the rock and nip at the other fish. I would love to put them safely in my 30 gallon tank. I just have no clue how to lift up the rock without killing the fish hurting the fish, the rock is almost a foot long.

 

[Colin_T]

Just leave them where they are. If they have babies or eggs, and you move them, they will either eat the eggs or abandon them. Once the babies have started swimming around and are old enough, you can move the adults into their own tank if you like. You can also put a partition in the tank so the other fish can't get to the babies.