Help please apistogramma cacatuoidies

[Munkyaquatix]

So my apistogrammas have spawned several times and they always eat the eggs. I’ve tried only a pair then removing the male after 4 failed attempts then I tried adding more females so now my ratio is 3 females to one male and that didn’t make a difference. So the past two spawns I’ve pulled the cave with the eggs and added methalyn blue.I usually get 5 wiggles and the rest of the eggs turn white. But my wiggles die after a day or two sometimes I’ll wake up and the air stone floated up and out the specimen container so that could be why.  Should I try slowing the flow down on the air stone ? Or try a new pair? 
sorry this is so long and thanks in advance

[Fish Folk]

1 minute ago, Munkyaquatix said:

So my apistogrammas have spawned several times and they always eat the eggs. I’ve tried only a pair then removing the male after 4 failed attempts then I tried adding more females so now my ratio is 3 females to one male and that didn’t make a difference. So the past two spawns I’ve pulled the cave with the eggs and added methalyn blue.I usually get 5 wiggles and the rest of the eggs turn white. But my wiggles die after a day or two sometimes I’ll wake up and the air stone floated up and out the specimen container so that could be why.  Should I try slowing the flow down on the air stone ? Or try a new pair? 
sorry this is so long and thanks in advance

Love Apistogramma Cacatouides! Miss ours...

It’s possible your male isn’t properly fertilizing. You might invest in a small variety of live foods to stimulate healthy, successful reproduction. Daphnia, Brine Shrimp, and Black Worms provide good variety of live food offerings.

I’d do it like this: once they spawn, move cave into a large specimen container suspended _inside_ the tank to match temperature with 2/3 R.O. Bottled water (Walmart brand will do fine), pre-floated in Apisto tank to match temperature. 1/3 tank water. Use a Ziss never-clog airstone because it is heavy, and will fall down into container for you. Don’t make it “boil” - just a gentle bubbling to create flow. Gently squirt in 1/2 ml. (0.5 ml) over-the-counter 3% H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) as an anti fungal. Add a few alder cones too. If eggs turn visibly white, drawn them up and out using a Walmart pharmacy liquid medicine syringe affixed with ca. 5-inches of airline on the end. Dose the H2O2 every 12 hrs, and no more than 3x times. Do not squirt directly onto the eggs, just generally into the container. One the hatch into Wigglers, the cave can be removed. Do not feed until they are free swimming. Feed on vinegar eels (10 ml. culture) diluted in 8 oz. of tank water or R. O. water. with an added 1-tsp of Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) to counteract the acid. I would add a light surface layer of Sera Micron to the cup and stir in. Feed 3x times each day. After a few days, I’d move slowly over to live baby brine shrimp. Co-Op brand hatched out really small - great for fry. Change out 30-40% of the specimen container daily with mix of R. O. Bottled water + tank water. After a week free swimming, change out the air stone for a pre-primed small batch-surge sponge filter inside the specimen container. Add some Java moss and water lettuce as well. After 4x weeks, move to a small grow out tank, or a suspended net breeder hanging inside parent’s tank. 

 

[Munkyaquatix]

Thank you this is very helpful

[anewbie]

If i might add it might take them several trys to get it right. You can try what @Fish Folksuggested and hatch the eggs outside the tank but if you can get them to spawn with the female there is some advantages to having the female raise the frys. In my case i had a spawn but after that i had an explosion of mystery snails that made it difficult for them to successfully spawn a second time. I wasn't too concern since i can't deal with frys right now but i mention this because if you have other fishes in the tank (esp larger snails or  plecos) it might make it difficult for them to successfully guard the eggs.

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I should mention that once you get free swimming frys then you can feed them but not before they been swimming for about 20 hours. 

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Hum. I didn't really answer your question - if you have a small 5 gallon tank with a mature sponge filter i would put the cave with the female in that tank after they spawn.

Edited May 31, 2021 by anewbie