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Welcome back James! sounds like you've been through a lot hopefully the hobby treats you well going forward!!!

Big Update! So today I successfully sold my first batch of fry that my apisto pair raised! I had to take apart my aquarium to catch them which was a learning experience for sure as I had only ever set it up and let it grow out. While it was sad watching my tank come down as I took out each hardscape piece and took off every plant it also allowed me to fix beginner mistakes! for example I had planted anubias extremely high in my aquarium leading to weird surface growth that always annoyed me. So while bitter sweet was a great experience for me. Selling the apisto fry was extremely interesting and tested my catching abilities. Even with all the hardscape out catching 34 little baby apsito fry was challenging as I had only ever caught corydoras before which were super easy to catch. Being my first attempt at ever spawning any fish to have 34 grow out was definitely an accomplishment for myself but also the amazing parent apistos that I have! I have read on forums that apisto moms aren't always that great but My female is amazing best momma out there! I'll be posting pics of my tanks rescape in the coming days as the water settles and I finish adding more botanicals in!

Sold my first batch today! Bitter sweet but also exciting to see how many survived to “adulthood”. I sold 34 from my first batch it was a lot more than I thought it would actually be! This also meant I had to take down my aquascape which now the tank looks bare again but I am excited to see it grow out again!

looking at this makes me believe more that its from my leaf litter and botanicals breaking down. I have alot of malaysian drift wood under all the plants. Im sure this explains some of the algae too as this tank matures.

Yah I kinda think it’s the fry too they are grown out almost full and are making more waste. It comes off easy and is only growing on the plants as far as I can tell.

Hi there so this tank had algae issues in the beginning and finally lightened up for about 4 months. Within the last month this new algae has taken over and it’s not the same hair algae as before? Any ideas of what kind and has anyone managed to get rid of it? notes of the tank: this currently a grow out for some 30 apisto fry, I feed twice a day baby brine. This is also a botanical tank with a leaf litter bed and various botanicals. The tank has been up for 7 months. Doing water changes every other day.

@anewbie my ph is 6.8, but I don’t remember my gh off the top of my head I remember it being surprisingly low for my area tho, I’m pretty sure they are clear water but have done great in my blackwater aquarium

@Kyle murfitt its funny you say that because everyday I stare into this tank and am cursed that I only have space for the one at the moment. I dream of having at least a rack of breeding apisto pairs so I can understand your frustrations of patience. I will one day have that rack but not until I have a new home or apartment with more space! Be patient my friend you'll love the tank and the fish!

First spawn are almost up to size! Watching these fry grow up has been an amazing experience probably have 1 more month to be sellable but I’ve grown quite fond of these little fish

wheres the best place for hardscape wood online to buy from?

its the ACA, AKA, ALA and NA ANGFA conventions all at once, its in Louisville, July 2022. I saw an add on the ACA Instagram saying registration starts Sunday figured I ask on here if anyone had seen it or plans on going

Maybe this post is early but I have a question about the super convention happening in Louisville in 2022. As a new aquarist I have never been to a convention let alone one of this magnitude, what should I be expecting if I due end up attending this event? Also any tips for booking rooms or planning for someone who has no friends in the hobby (yet!) going into this whole thing blind and naive. also who's going?!?!

A pair of apistos could even fit in a 10 gal, a 20H or 20l would work for sure. I personally keep my apistos in 15 gal for a pair and there is plenty of room for their squabbling and enough space for them to get away from each other. I think a 20h would work just fine!

absolutely love this tank! the tannins are awesome and the set-up is so clean! welcome to the forum!

As a local Arizonan welcome back to the hobby! always love seeing people rediscover this hobby! I am brand new as of this year but will be expanding my hobby for the forseen future!

Those cichlids are gorgeous! Also I love the scape in my opinion! Cant wait to see what else you have in store for this tank.

As my first spawn are growing out I've been wondering what's the best way to fish these little guys out? They are roughly 3 months old but I am not trying to destroy this tank to catch them all... any tips or tricks to catching 30 1-inch apistogramma fry?

Bleeding black and gold baby!!!! lets go PITTSBURGH STEELERS!!!!!! college I watch the Arizona Wildcats as my alma mater but I like NFL better

Update time! It’s been 2 months since my last update! My first spawn from my apistos are growing out well some are almost sellable size. Giving me a good break from every other day water changes! However they have spawned again with the last week and I have moved momma and the fry into a breeder box. The female apisto was become extremely aggressive to the male and the first batch of fry and it was time for a move. This is the first time I have ever used a breeder box and will be an interesting experience. Without room for additional tanks it was necessary to tone down the in tank aggression. So far the breeder box is a cool way to watch the wrigglers grown but I do worry about their feeding as the last batch fed on micro-organisms inside the tank. I am doing my best to put in some botanicals that have colonies on them. I also moved a sponge I had on the intake that they fed on last time into the box to add a stable food source, hopefully this works out well! All in all very excited to move and add more tanks in the future for more breeding projects!

Here’s my 17 gal apistogramma steel blue pair’s desk top tank

Officially got wrigglers from spawn number 2!

Story of this pair is now on their second clutch!!! But this time I found them before they hatched!

Another post just to show the growth of these guys even over the weekend some have almost doubled!

@Mack I have gotten a spawn of at least 20 fry that have grown up extremely fast! little over a month and they are free swimming and about half and inch showing some color already! first fish too so super exciting all around.

30 for my apisto pair is the most I've spent