Question about the Co-Op Apisto cave

[Leo2o915]

So i have one Already and it looks so small isn’t it to small for the apisto macmasteri ? Like seems the males might get stuck or am I just over thinking it? 

[Cory]

At full grown male, he'd be too big to get in most likely. The female can still escape the male. They can lay eggs on top of it. However juvies of that species usually do fine. There are a range of sizes of apistos with macmasteri being some of the larger ones.

[Leo2o915]

On 6/18/2022 at 9:58 AM, Cory said:

At full grown male, he'd be too big to get in most likely. The female can still escape the male. They can lay eggs on top of it. However juvies of that species usually do fine. There are a range of sizes of apistos with macmasteri being some of the larger ones.

Gotcha so you think best bet get the coconut cave instead ? 

[Cory]

You could get one, but could be you have enough already? Usually if you're trying to breed, you'd have a variety of spawning locations and cave sizes so that they can choose what they want. This cave might be perfect for the female to escape the males attention when she doesn't want to breed. Without knowing sizes and layout of the tank it's hard to say. They'll spawn with no caves as well.

[Leo2o915]

On 6/18/2022 at 10:06 AM, Cory said:

You could get one, but could be you have enough already? Usually if you're trying to breed, you'd have a variety of spawning locations and cave sizes so that they can choose what they want. This cave might be perfect for the female to escape the males attention when she doesn't want to breed. Without knowing sizes and layout of the tank it's hard to say. They'll spawn with no caves as well.

Ok thanks so I’ll keep that one and add one of the coconut huts i have to give them options 

[Leo2o915]

On 6/18/2022 at 10:06 AM, Cory said:

You could get one, but could be you have enough already? Usually if you're trying to breed, you'd have a variety of spawning locations and cave sizes so that they can choose what they want. This cave might be perfect for the female to escape the males attention when she doesn't want to breed. Without knowing sizes and layout of the tank it's hard to say. They'll spawn with no caves as well.

Had a question saw ur video with Dean about setting up a apisto breeding tank I got some buffering substrate that keeps the water softer or is it better for them using sand ? 

[Cory]

In general most of the common apistos just want stable water parameters. Some of the rarer/wild caught ones do better in a lower ph.

[Liddojunior]

On 6/18/2022 at 10:06 AM, Cory said:

You could get one, but could be you have enough already? Usually if you're trying to breed, you'd have a variety of spawning locations and cave sizes so that they can choose what they want. This cave might be perfect for the female to escape the males attention when she doesn't want to breed. Without knowing sizes and layout of the tank it's hard to say. They'll spawn with no caves as well.

Not the poster, but had question on the cave sizes. How does one get caves of different sizes? I would love tips on how to make/where to buy different hiding spots!

I want to get hiding spots for kuhli loaches , they fit in the apisto cave but they don’t all fit in there and think it’ll be to uniform if I have multiple of them in the same tank. 

Edit: Woah very impressed by the site linking to the store if I just say the name of the product. 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Liddojunior

[Cory]

On 6/21/2022 at 2:20 AM, Liddojunior said:

Not the poster, but had question on the cave sizes. How does one get caves of different sizes? I would love tips on how to make/where to buy different hiding spots!

I want to get hiding spots for kuhli loaches , they fit in the apisto cave but they don’t all fit in there and think it’ll be to uniform if I have multiple of them in the same tank. 

Edit: Woah very impressed by the site linking to the store if I just say the name of the product. 

Most often people just buy different caves. maybe an apisto, a shrimp one, a pleco one, a coconut hut, then mix that with rocks and driftwood int heir aquarium and the animals can choose which they prefer.

[Brandon p]

On 6/21/2022 at 2:54 PM, Cory said:

Most often people just buy different caves. maybe an apisto, a shrimp one, a pleco one, a coconut hut, then mix that with rocks and driftwood int heir aquarium and the animals can choose which they prefer.

There is a video on YouTube from Cory about drilling pots. There are so many different size pots and different size holes(different size holes is impossible so they have options) I find that you can group a bunch in one area a use plants,wood, and moss to make it look natural. Especially if you cover the pots with moss. Of course buy a bunch of different type of thing is more up some peoples alley. 

[anewbie]

This is my apisto tank; in case it gives you ideas. They tend to lay eggs behind the driftwood; though she raise the youngs after they hatch on the right front side by the small piece of drift wood; in other tanks i've seen them use areas behind sponge filters or pretty much any barrier. In one tank they dug one in the soft substrate. Mac f/m aggression tend to not be quite as bad as a few other common species like cockatoo; but the male will still encourage the female to leave when she is not breeding so you need to make sure you have places she can hide in case your m ends up being a bit on the aggressive side of things.

Edited June 21, 2022 by anewbie