Apisto fry question

[Guppysnail]

At what point do I need to remove the fry from the parent tank?  Or can I just let them in there and get them out to sell/ give to friends before they are sexually mature?

These were brought out of the cave April 14th. 
I’m hoping the answer is that I can leave them in the parent tank. These Apisto were only in the tank since April 1st. I was not expecting or ready for fry so quick. 

 

@tolstoy21?

Edited April 17, 2023 by Guppysnail

[Fish Folk]

I’ve only seen Apistos eat fry once they decide to spawn again, or become stressed.

[tolstoy21]

If I could give this post more than one ❤️ I would!

I typically take the male out if 1) I see him eating fry 2) I see the female beating the heck out of him.

I will remove the female when the juveniles no longer seem interested in following her around and she has lost interest in caring for them. This is maybe about a month after spawning. 

The females, when in caregiver mode are quite amazing to watch. They will usher the fry around the tank with their two fins stiffly extended like flags. They will also scoop up anyone who wanders too far from the pack into their mouth and then spit them back into the school of siblings. I've seen females grab three or so fry in their mouth at one time and spit them back out. I also see them randomly doing this for no real reason and part of me wonders if the mother is cleaning them.

Good luck with these!!!!

Edited April 17, 2023 by tolstoy21

[Guppysnail]

@tolstoy21 I have seen no real aggressive or the boy being interested in the fry. He is a Casanova and courting the other girl (I have a trio) who is just becoming large enough to start showing tiny bits of yellow and watching him salsa dance. He peeks at the fry. Won’t let the other girl near that side of the tank but doesn’t try for the fry. Mom rolls on her side when he gets to nosey and he wanders away. I tried to set the tank 20l split into two sides wood and tall plants in the middle. Multiple caves on both sides. When mom chose her cave I removed all caves on that side. They seem to be cooperating with me on that so far. 
Thank you for the information. These are crazy fun. Mom turns all different variations of color depending on what she is doing with the fry. Great mom even shrimp are not allowed near her babies. 

[Karen B.]

@Guppysnail You must be one amazing fish mom! I’ve had Dior and Chanel for over a year, no spawning. They barely tolerate each other. They prefer to school with my Glowlight tetra (rather funny to witness)
 

Sometimes my female just swim still and my male slap her on the face with his tail… is it courting behavior?! 😅 @tolstoy21

[Guppysnail]

On 4/18/2023 at 1:14 AM, Karen B. said:

is it courting behavior

I have no idea. This is my first time with Apisto. The front spikes on my boys dorsal turned yellow and he salsa danced for her like his life depended on it. She turned yellow but no where near as yellow as now while she is watching fry. She also “posed” with her head pointed down during his dance and his tail slaps were gentle brushings during his dance on her side. Just before they spawned a patch on his body just below those spikes turned yellow. 
She is keeping the other two on the other side of the tank from her cave. She will dart across to their side and WHAP the boy with her tail. So I know that is some type of warning. 
I did talk to someone at my fish club who has been a cichlid guy for decades. He said if I watch very closely her patterning will change while interacting with her fry. Somehow they signal things to their fry with the pattern. 
That is the extent of what I know so far. 
 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Guppysnail

[tolstoy21]

On 4/18/2023 at 5:51 AM, Guppysnail said:

I did talk to someone at my fish club who has been a cichlid guy for decades. He said if I watch very closely her patterning will change while interacting with her fry. Somehow they signal things to their fry with the pattern. 

Yeah, they do get much more vibrant yellow when with fry. The patterning on their pectoral fins changes, especially the vertical black bars at the front of the fins. If you watch her, she seems to steer the school of fry with these.  (The females of some species, like the abacaxis and baenschi, will so completely transform in color and patterning that they look like different fish).

As for the mating "dance", the male cacatuodies will whip his tail and flare his fins when he wants to breed. I think I read somewhere that the tail whipping, especially when near the cave opening, is meant to spread sperm into the cave when the cave is too small to enter or otherwise blocked by the female. He will also get a yellowish wash/undertone to his stomach and sides. When the female is ready she will be a brighter yellow than when non-breeding (she's more olive-toned when not breeding, I my experience), and she will go up to the male, turn on her side and contort her body shape.  Usually she does this near the cave, or does this in an attempt to draw the male closer to the cave. 

Or at least, this is what I have noticed over the past few years breeding these fish.

Enjoy these and have fun!

 

 

 

On 4/18/2023 at 1:14 AM, Karen B. said:

I’ve had Dior and Chanel for over a year, no spawning.

Mine have been reluctant breeders as of late as well. I'll see them doing their whole song-and-dance every now and again, but no fry. This happens. But then, sometimes, they surprise you when you least expect it and one day you walk up and see a cloud of fry and think, where the heck did these come from?