Eggs!!! or not...

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Metalhead88

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So last night in a recently setup tank houses a male and female Apistogramma Cacatuoides I noticed the female guarding and hanging in a spot that she normally doesn't go near by. I immediately thought she must have laid eggs. Sure enough she did. I tried getting a picture of them, but couldn't because they were under some driftwood that I could barely see by eye with a flashlight. They were a light pink in color from what I can tell and definitely eggs. In past, I've had much luck breeding cichlids and usually fertilized eggs are more of a brown color. From what I'm seeing on the internet, Apisto eggs are more pink when fertilized. The male didn't seem to pay any mind to the eggs or the female. I was eager to come home after work today, but noticed the female not near the eggs and back to her clay pot where sure usually hangs. No wigglers or eggs in sight. Someone ate them. The 2 fish are the only inhabitants. One youtube video that I had watch stated that it may take a few tries to "get it right" and for the fish to not eat the eggs or fry.

The tank is set up with a few plants, sand, clay pot, and driftwood. I originally planned on picking up more females, but I'm still awaiting a shipment from the LFS.

About 2 weeks ago I noticed breeding behavior for only one day. They seemed paired up that particular day but I haven't observed anything since.....even with the eggs. I'm not fully convinced that they were fertilized and I wish I could have gotten a picture.

Can I do anything different for round 2? Move fish or eggs? or leave both parents? I'd like to leave both fish if possible. I have extra tanks, spare established filters, and all the gear to do pretty much anything I'd need to at a moments notice.

There isn't a lot of info on Apistos and a lot of it is even conflicting. I'd appreciate any comments or help. Thanks!
 
I've never bred this species of cichlids, so maybe Africans are all different, but I had good luck with lots & lots of hiding places plus an extremely varied diet, heavy on the tubifex. Good luck. I look forward to seeing pictures.
 
Most cichlids (especially hand reared ones) need to learn how to be parents and regularly eat the first few batches of eggs. Then they start to look after the eggs but eat the fry when they first hatch. A few more batches and they start to look after the eggs and fry.

This is very common in angelfish and a lot of South American cichlids that are bred in Asia. The breeders separate the eggs from the parents as soon as they are laid. The eggs get moved into a hatching tank and the parents lay another batch. This means the people breeding the fish get a lot more eggs and potential babies to sell.

The drawback to this is the baby fish have no contact with their parents and don't learn about brood care. So when they grow up and breed, they don't know what to do.

Fish that were reared by their parents usually make good parents.

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If the fish continue to eat the eggs for more than 4 batches, then try removing the male after spawning and see if the female looks after them. If she eats the eggs then remove her the next time and see if the male will look after them.

If that fails and they still eat the eggs, get some more fish and swap the partners around.
 
Most cichlids (especially hand reared ones) need to learn how to be parents and regularly eat the first few batches of eggs. Then they start to look after the eggs but eat the fry when they first hatch. A few more batches and they start to look after the eggs and fry.

This is very common in angelfish and a lot of South American cichlids that are bred in Asia. The breeders separate the eggs from the parents as soon as they are laid. The eggs get moved into a hatching tank and the parents lay another batch. This means the people breeding the fish get a lot more eggs and potential babies to sell.

The drawback to this is the baby fish have no contact with their parents and don't learn about brood care. So when they grow up and breed, they don't know what to do.

Fish that were reared by their parents usually make good parents.

-------------------
If the fish continue to eat the eggs for more than 4 batches, then try removing the male after spawning and see if the female looks after them. If she eats the eggs then remove her the next time and see if the male will look after them.

If that fails and they still eat the eggs, get some more fish and swap the partners around.
Thanks!
 

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