Female apisto that just spawned acting weird. Help

Ok so my female just had her first spawn and they are all a few days of free swimming now. Well the mom is acting very weird she is frantically swimming back and forth across the glass and she sucks up as many fry as she can and will hold them in her mouth for a long time swimming frantic then spits them all out. I tested water all parameters are fine. 0ppm ammonia 0ppm nitrite and 20-30ppm nitrates. I still did a decent water change to make sure and she is still doing it. She is eating fine her bright yellow and black dressings are still hold and vibrant only difference I have noticed is her belly is getting very squared off idk what that means or has to do with anything but it anyone can help or give some tips that would be awesome. Thank you

 

Doesn't sound really weird.
BUT: Which species of Apisto are we talking? Are there any other fish in the tank? Can you post a picture of the whole tank so one can get an impression of structure and cover in the tank?

 

She is a cacatuoides. And she is in a 10 gallon with just her fry. Maybe around 15-20 fry. 3-4 broken clay pots and her apisto cave made out of clay with a pinky size hole that she spawned in and a few floating plants and a few Anubis's with a sponge filter. Here are so pictures they aren't the best as she was on the move and I have a android lol

 

That is normal behaviour for a good female. Catching fry in her mouth before spitting them out a few inches away is her doing a good job. Only she knows where the fry should be. Seriously in a cloud of fry . A ball of fry.

Congratulations on getting a successful spawn in a bare bottom tank. I have ( my fish) have done that but apparently some sand and leaf litter might help her next time? As would some old Java moss.

A large handful of old established ( dirty ) Java moss or other plant material would be handy today if you have some in another tank as it will have micro live foods ( Infusorea) on it for the fry’s first meal.

You should get some brine shrimp hatching as well if you have not already been feeding her , and now the fry.

 

I agree with Flyfisha, the tank is less than optimal. Also much too brightly lit. The female is obviously on edge all the time.

A thin layer of sand, more leaf litter and more cover with dim lighting should do wonders. For this spawn you can forget it, now it's too late to change.

Also I think getting domestic strains of Apistogramma (especially A. cacatuoides and A. macmasteri) to spawn and breed is no sorcery. They fall under the category of fish you can expect to breed under dire conditions. So mistakes in the breeding set-up do usually only show up when the fry are starting to swim free, as in this case.

 

I have been feeding them live bbs since free swim. And there is Anubis's and floating plants from my established 55gallon with like brown algae and tons of stuff on it that I have seen the little fry pecking at. And the only reason I went bare bottom is for cleaning purposes and so I could see fry when sucking up the bottom. And il try a less brighter light for her. But anything else I can do now to calm her down so she doesn't die or eat her fry?

 

But anything else I can do now to calm her down so she doesn't die or eat her fry?

More floaters, more leaf litter, more humic substances.

 

Ok awesome thanks guys il keep you posted