Methelyne Blue and Eggs . . . How Long?

[anewbie]

On 11/12/2022 at 7:14 PM, tolstoy21 said:

Yeah I did find threads about this on Apistogramma.com today after reading your original reply.  So far, I've only had this pair by themselves in their own dedicated tank. The male and female get along great and never ever show aggression towards one another and often hang out side-by-side in their cave for long periods of time. They spawn quite routinely. But as you know, getting the eggs to develop into free-swimming fry is my current challenge.  Definitely my current favorite fish. 

What is your water condition; I think they need near black water condition (that is tds below 50 ph in low 6 or 5); blackwater is more about very soft acidic water than tannins though that stuff that produce tannins is very useful to stabilize the ph.

[tolstoy21]

On 11/13/2022 at 5:29 AM, anewbie said:

What is your water condition; I think they need near black water condition (that is tds below 50 ph in low 6 or 5); blackwater is more about very soft acidic water than tannins though that stuff that produce tannins is very useful to stabilize the ph.

They are in the following:

Ph: 4.5 - 5.0
Kh: 0
Gh: 0
TDS: around 60 if I recall
Temp: 78-80F

Yeah, I understand that blackwater is not just about tannin-stained water. I use a combination of peat pellets in a box filter and oak leaf litter to keep the Ph reliably in in the 4 - 5 range. They have been in this setup for about a year.

I also breed Apistogramma Abacaxis in a very similar setup and have been much more successful with them than with the Ivancara.

After a few days time, I still have two Ivancara wigglers going strong. I think the max that I saw in the breeder box was four. None of the other eggs hatched.

Next go-round I might try an egg tumbler on a very gentle setting. 

For anyone interested, the Ivancara eggs are sticky, but they were easy to brush off the cave roof with a soft-bristled paint brush, the kind one sees in a watercolor kit.

Edited November 13, 2022 by tolstoy21

[anewbie]

On 11/13/2022 at 2:25 PM, tolstoy21 said:

They are in the following:

Ph: 4.5 - 5.0
Kh: 0
Gh: 0
TDS: around 60 if I recall
Temp: 78-80F

Yeah, I understand that blackwater is not just about tannin-stained water. I use a combination of peat pellets in a box filter and oak leaf litter to keep the Ph reliably in in the 4 - 5 range. They have been in this setup for about a year.

I also breed Apistogramma Abacaxis in a very similar setup and have been much more successful with them than with the Ivancara.

After a few days time, I still have two Ivancara wigglers going strong. I think the max that I saw in the breeder box was four. None of the other eggs hatched.

Next go-round I might try an egg tumbler on a very gentle setting. 

For anyone interested, the Ivancara eggs are sticky, but they were easy to brush off the cave roof with a soft-bristled paint brush, the kind one sees in a watercolor kit.

I'd like to see pictures of those abacaxis 😉 Were they wild caught or tank bred ?

[tolstoy21]

On 11/14/2022 at 6:38 AM, anewbie said:

I'd like to see pictures of those abacaxis 😉 Were they wild caught or tank bred ?

I believe they are F1 from wild caught.  So, tank-bred but not too divorced from wild.

I acquired 2 pairs a few months back.  One has spawned, but, alas, the other pair turned out to be 2 males.

Happy to share some pics. I'll try to snap some today.

Edited November 14, 2022 by tolstoy21

[tolstoy21]

@anewbie

Ok, very quick snaps of the male and some fry.

Admittedly not my best photos!

 

Edited November 14, 2022 by tolstoy21