Female Apisto Is Guarding Her Turf!

[BethK]

1 of my female apistos has grown double her size in the short time I have had her, unfortunately, the other female is still small (could that be a genetics issue?).

I placed all 3 apistos in the community tank yesterday and they all seem to be getting on fine, the male likes to pop up and says hello whenever I am by the tank

However, this morning, I have noticed the bigger female getting narky. She looks to be staking territory out in and around the breeding tube I have. She won't let any other fish within an inch of it, even the corys! I thought that maybe she has laid eggs but I can't see in the tube and I am thinking that it's too soon for them to spawn (?).

The male is on the otherside of the tank, yesterday he was side-by-side with her all day and in the evening that I noticed but today, he hasn't even attempted to swim over to 'her' side of the tank.

Is she just staking territory out?

 

[PDSimon]

Sounds like it, my male has a territory and if a fish three times his size comes near he'll still have a go at them. The female just seems to think that her territory is wherever she is at that time

 

[kizno1]

Just sounds like territories. If they had laid egg the female would be in the cave with then and the male would be guarding the cave chasing other fish off. I had the same thing when i had a trio one female grew alot faster than the other one and ended up killing the smaller one within a few weeks of having them.

 

[BethK]

uh oh, no more deaths, please

My male apisto seems kinda skitish, the small female hides all the time but i suppose they need more time in the community. I'm getting more plants this week, so hopefully that will bring them out more

 

[kizno1]

Yh im sure ones the male settles in he will be fine. They can be a little nippy when young but tend to calm down alot when they get older. When i first got my male (in my profile pic) he would shred anything that was put in the tank but now he lives happily with all the fish in my 30G and doesnt evan bother tiny BN fry.

 

[PDSimon]

Yh im sure ones the male settles in he will be fine. They can be a little nippy when young but tend to calm down alot when they get older. When i first got my male (in my profile pic) he would shred anything that was put in the tank but now he lives happily with all the fish in my 30G and doesnt evan bother tiny BN fry.

I hope mine calms down, the little female is a right bully!

[youtube]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc_hd9tLMd8[/youtube]

and the ram is a big wimp...

 

[kizno1]

Yh im sure ones the male settles in he will be fine. They can be a little nippy when young but tend to calm down alot when they get older. When i first got my male (in my profile pic) he would shred anything that was put in the tank but now he lives happily with all the fish in my 30G and doesnt evan bother tiny BN fry.

I hope mine calms down, the little female is a right bully!

[youtube]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc_hd9tLMd8[/youtube]

and the ram is a big wimp...

My female calmed down alot as she got older. All the females that ive had of a few different types of apisto have all been quite nippy when younger.

 

[PDSimon]

Cheers

 

[karin]

I have been wondering about my female apisto caratuoides. She came to me at about 2.5 cm and the male was about 3 cm (nose to tail) in April 2010. Now the male is a chuncky 6 cm and the female about 3 cm. She just seems to be growing so slowly. Normal? They also have not spawned but do do the breeding dance from time to time. And even though she is small she can be quite pushy with fish 10 times her size (angels) and the bolivian rams.

Any thoughts on her size and growth rate?

 

[kizno1]

I have been wondering about my female apisto caratuoides. She came to me at about 2.5 cm and the male was about 3 cm (nose to tail) in April 2010. Now the male is a chuncky 6 cm and the female about 3 cm. She just seems to be growing so slowly. Normal? They also have not spawned but do do the breeding dance from time to time. And even though she is small she can be quite pushy with fish 10 times her size (angels) and the bolivian rams.

Any thoughts on her size and growth rate?

The female will only get to about 3-4cm so it was probably so she would have bee nearer to fully grown than the male so will have a slower growth rate. got it where as males will get to about 7cm

 

[BethK]

so in general, females are bullies

 

[kizno1]

so in general, females are bullies

IME yep