20G - Apistogramma cacatuoides

[bizfromqc]

Keep an eye on that plant,it might not be a true aquatic plant.

Oh no... looks like you're right on this one (of course).

I did look up the alternanthera but couldn't originally find this one, might explain it now. I've looked it up online again and this time found forum posts and other people confirming it is not suitable for aquarium growth  

I'll have to yank it out. Good news is i still have a couple of small clay pots so I'll put it in there and bring it to my office or put some if my girls bedroom!

Thanks Errol, once again, you're the man  

[bizfromqc]

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE - PART 1 - New plants and decor

Plants added:

1) Sagittaria Pusillus (right in front of the vals, some tiny little shoots for now but should grow)
2) Vallisneria Gigantea (in front of the heater, behind sagittaria pusillus)
3) Nymphaea Zenkeri (Red Tiger Lotus in the middle)

I just think that the Red Tiger Lotus is beautiful, I love the great big leaves. Hopefully I can keep it and it will grow nicely.

Also added:

1) 2 x 3" clay pots (a whopping 0.57$ each at Wal-Mart) to serve as caves for my apistos
2) Some river rocks throughout the tank to add a little hardscape in there

Water is still clearing, slowly but surely. Attached is a FTS, let me know what you think.

[bizfromqc]

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE - PART 2.1 - New fish

Hooray! I found some apistogramma cacatuoides. They were marked as "double reds" but from looking at the male I pick, I'd say he's borderline "triple red" since he's got the red on the tail, dorsal and anal fins. In any case, he's a beauty, by far the nicest one from the batch at the store. He's still a bit shy but warming up the the tank, the other fish and more importantly, the female apisto 

Pictures attached.

[bizfromqc]

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE - PART 2.2 - New fish

Picture of the female apistogramma cacatuoides.

[bizfromqc]

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE - PART 2.3 - New fish

It seems the pair are already warming up to each other. After staying in their corners for a good 15 minutes after they were introduced to the tank, they came out and checked each other out. Male was kinda flaunting for the female and she then took her turn showing off. After a little while, they were swimming together and even both checked out the clay pots and posed for the camera 

All I need now is a little Barry White in the background to set the mood LOL

Pictures attached.

[charlie]

Nice find, would it not be better to keep them as a Trio 1M+2F?
Regards

[touchofsky]

Looks great.  I am happy that you got the fish that you were looking for.  I love red tiger lotus, too, and they aren't hard to keep, so you shouldn't have problems with it.

[charlie]

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE - PART 1 - New plants and decor

Plants added:

1) Sagittaria Pusillus (right in front of the vals, some tiny little shoots for now but should grow)
2) Vallisneria Gigantea (in front of the heater, behind sagittaria pusillus)
3) Nymphaea Zenkeri (Red Tiger Lotus in the middle)

I just think that the Red Tiger Lotus is beautiful, I love the great big leaves. Hopefully I can keep it and it will grow nicely.

Also added:

1) 2 x 3" clay pots (a whopping 0.57$ each at Wal-Mart) to serve as caves for my apistos
2) Some river rocks throughout the tank to add a little hardscape in there

Water is still clearing, slowly but surely. Attached is a FTS, let me know what you think.

a root tab under that lotus every 2-3 mths should help to keep it happy 
Regards

[bizfromqc]

Nice find, would it not be better to keep them as a Trio 1M+2F?
Regards

I think the jury is still out on that one. My tank is relatively small so to speak and if a pair establishes, I would have to take out the other one. I'll give it a go for a little while and see how things go.

If the male harasses her and she's not interested, I might get another one to spread his attention until things settle down and they pair up. Problem then is I have to put the extra female "somewhere" else.

[Peekay]

So cool!       They are beautiful!  lol at the Barry White!

I love the red lotus too. 

[daworldisblack]

Things are looking good! What are the chances of you going in and having the fish you wanted just in eh?! I was told there was a delay in the shipment due to bad weather the week before so I'm sure its pretty nicely stocked there now with neat new fishes! Looking better and better with each progress pic!

[jshchrtn]

The fish you were able to get are awesome! Congrats!

[bizfromqc]

Thank you for all the comments.

The male is starting to get settled in now and is flaring up his fins all the time in front of the female and to scare off the danios when they get on his nerves. He really is the man of the house now and acting like it LOL

I'll try to take some better pictures today and post them here.

[bizfromqc]

Went in the basement this morning to check on my tank occupants. Couldn't really find the female at first but finally found her under some leaves behind the clay pot in the front part of the tank.

She looked really different than she did yesterday... way more YELLOW. A good sign I hear. I was pretty excited about this since female apistogramma turn yellow when they're about to lay eggs or in brood care. I took a picture for you guys to see and it's attached to this post.

Went in again a little while ago and found her again under the anubias behind the clay pot. I thought maybe the male was being a little pushy and she went in there to relax. Took another snap of it.

When reviewing the pictures in Picassa, I noticed little bumps on the under part of the anubias leaves. At first I thought it might have been pearling of the plant but I'm not even putting in CO2 anymore so not that...

Went in the basement again after looking at the pictures and again, took another picture.

They're not bubbles, they're EGGS !!! Kind of pinkish/brownish, it's hard to tell but they're definitely eggs. I must have had the correct timing as the second picture I took seemed to have more eggs so I might have caught her in the act. Who knew this would happen so quickly. They were introduced to the tank Friday night. Funniest thing is they didn't even use the clay pots but the plants LOL

I'll have to read up on apistos and eggs/fry and what to do and whatnot. I may have to know about this earlier than I expected 

Enjoy the pictures.

[charlie]

WOW, good for you.
As they say timing is everything
Maybe fischkop can throw in his experience with Apistos here?

[touchofsky]

Wow!  Good for you.  That is very exciting 

[jshchrtn]

Wow that's exciting

[bettabreeder]

Unreal. This calls for more pictures of course!

[bizfromqc]

Unreal. This calls for more pictures of course!

I am super excited about it. I know it can take a couple of spawns for them to get used to the whole thing so I don't have high hopes for this first one but... that being said, I'd love for it to be a successful one 

Gotta get the Danios out of there, they're pesky little buggers. The female is doing a great job at keeping them away from the eggs but they're fast so if these guys ever make it to free-swimming form, they might get swiped  by them.

More pictures coming soon as things develop.

[Peekay]

That's amazing!  It was the barry white, fo sho!