My 29 gallon Apistogramma tank!

[saltwater60]

Nice tank.

 

[Rcslade124]

Yup I count 16. They seem to be doing well one off to the side will keep an eye on him!

 

[Rcslade124]

I lied I now count 17! 2 free cardinal yes please. My apistogramma cacatuoides are in the mail arrive Wednesday so fingers crossed for a safe trip. Cardinals all ate tonight. I have to figure out how to feed the my jetlifter sends food across the tank. The hob then sends it down. I fed small pinches a couple of times. Hopefully the apistogramma will help clean up left over food. But I'm super stoked.

 

[Rcslade124]

So it was a rough 24hrs for the cardinals. Lost 11 so far. Def the roughest day in water keeping ever. I worried that the problem was in my water. Stressed all night did an 80% water change. Tested water over and over.

On top of it all my 3 apistogramma cacatuoides were arriving today. With no real qt for the fish I had to hope it was in the cardinals and not the water.

Acclimated the apistogramma to the water for 45 mins and in they went!

 

[Rcslade124]

10 hours and all 3 have settled a little. Eating and active. The dominant female is harassing the sub female. So that is going to have to be monitored. 6 cardinals look health and swimming. All of them ate. So I hope the worst is over. Also received alot of hornwort from the apistogramma seller! Water test after the baby falls asleep.

 

[Rcslade124]

Sub female. This is her hiding spot.

Male checking me out thinking if he could eat me if I came in his territory.

Dominant female taking a break from chasing the other female. Shes pretty yellow I didnt expect them to color up like they are ready to breed yet.
Hopefully they claim a pot each and calm down. The male shows interest in both.

 

[Blondeath]

Sub female. This is her hiding spot.

Male checking me out thinking if he could eat me if I came in his territory.

Dominant female taking a break from chasing the other female. Shes pretty yellow I didnt expect them to color up like they are ready to breed yet.
Hopefully they claim a pot each and calm down. The male shows interest in both.

Your tank looks great! Are you changing your ph for them or just using tap as is?

 

[Rcslade124]

It is around 6.8-7 now. But was low 6s last week. so I'm monitor it daily for now. I have done a few large water changes so the wood tannis has been changed out. I'll watch it. Most of my tanks settled aroun 6.8-7 but all this wood had thrown it off

 

[Rcslade124]

And if it does drop it should be from tannis in leaves and wood so it shouldn't have a major drop instantly. I am hoping it stays around 7 so I dont have to worry about water changes.

 

[Rcslade124]

Today I come home from work turn on the lights and find a nice surprise the sub female spawned on the outside of one of the pots. I couldnt find the dominant female anywhere. Well I found her she spawned under the heater. So 2 spawns. I worry that my cardinals will eat all of the fry if they hatch. But I'm hopefull for some success.

 

[Rcslade124]

So officially the parents have eaten all of the eggs. So we are back to none. One female is guarding a spot in the tank that she may try again. She's chasing away all the other fish so maybe. It's just way too soon. So I'll watch for a day and see if she still gaurds the wood.

I have been finding quite a few pond snails in the tank. So that's def going to be an issue down the line with breeding. I will have to get a 20L to raise and grow out the fry. I am hoping for a couple months before they try to spawn again but idk.

Started fertilizer again. The plants looking rough. I will probably have to remove some that look like they are dead. But hey it's all a learning curve. 50% water change in a couple days that should be fun. It will. Be the apistogramma first large water change.

 

[Rcslade124]

Little update.
So I noticed some white spots on my cardinals. Suspect it is ich!! These cardinal tetras will be the death of this tank!

There's a good pic of spot on the cardinals head. So immediately I dig in. I find out of my 3 yes 3 thermometer the temps off multiple degrees. I got a restaurant quality food thermometer. All thermometer show different. Ones at 80 ones at 79 one is 82. Actual temp 76°. So I suspect with my massive die off that the cardinals have harbored this. Immediately turn heater on full blast. Wont break 85° so I decided to medicate.

 

[Rcslade124]

So I'm digging in the tank before buying meds. And I see something else in the tank moving. Hmm what is it? Welp its fry. I counted 5. So of course I have fry and ich really what are the chances? Upon discussing on another thread life of the tank is most important!

Here's the fry. I do a good sand cleaning and start medicine. Kordon rid ich plus. By end of the day no fry survive. I may have sucked them up or may have just lost them. I have done30% water changes for a week now and medicated the tank. No spots no fatalities. I bought a second heater. We are at 86° now.

 

[Rcslade124]

Notice my female apistogramma are really brown realized that they are going to spawn. Now have one female gaurding her wood spot.

2nd female loves the sides of pots

She must have laid these past few hours. Still white so I dont think they are fertilized yet. Unfortunately its waterchange time. Doing 75% and starting fertilizer pro pps from nilocg in the morning as stated on another thread. But that's where we are today pretty sure I have 2 new spawns and brine shrimp hatchery going now. Will feed moms with batch one and repeat for babies. I hatch in about 48 hrs crappy light so it isnt ideal. But works.

 

[Rcslade124]

Lost a few eggs in water change this female doesnt like water changes they ate them all after I did one first time she spawned. Still have some no touching tank for a week!

 

[Rcslade124]

They ate them all after water change so just one female left gaurding her wood cave. Last time I thought nothing hopefully get a few fry if not maybe next time

 

[Rcslade124]

So found some fry today. Count 12. Let's see how long she can protect them this time no substrate changes for awhile while I see them.

 

[Rcslade124]

Few pictures of the fry and daddy. Fry are hard to see but they are all the grey dots in the sand! Also here's the surviving cardinals.

Love his blue highlights!

 

[Rcslade124]

Counting 5 tonight some might be under a leaf. Brine shrimp hatch tomorrow.

 

[Rcslade124]

So all fry are gone. From that spawn. But the other female spawned shes the one that eats them all.