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I recently wrote this post to get an id on an apisto my son was hoping to get a mate for.

Saturday he got a male cacatuoides, acclimated him and added to the tank. The two fish checked each other out but didn't show much interest.

Yesterday we noticed him staying in a back corner of the tank, still good color though. The female was out and acting normally.

This morning he was in the same area but big surprise to find the female in the cave with ~50 eggs!

So of course I have questions

-is there anything special I should do with the tank now?
-how long before the eggs hatch?
-are they generally good parents?
-will the female be more accepting of the male once the eggs hatch?

Any other info or advice would be very much appreciated



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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

What other fish are in the tank? They will guard the eggs and fry vigorously, but other fish can still devour any eggs and fry, especially at night.

I think my Apisto eggs took about 3 or so days to hatch and when they did the mom and dad both guard the babies. Dad will patrol the perimeter and mom will swim with the fry very close to her, never leaving their location. My cockatoo female would stay very close to the bottom with her kids, so I fed her cichlid pellets that sank thus allowing her to eat without having to venture to far from the bottom. The female will allow dad to help her with the fry. Mine always knew which guy was the dad and would chase away other male interlopers.

In general, these fish are excellent parents and, as long as there are no other fish that pose an egg/fry gobbling threat in the tank, you shouldn't have to do anything special other than cover the intake of any filter to prevent fry from being sucked up.

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Not much you need to do, that you can do, if they are in a general aquarium. The biggest thing to do, would be to remove all the other fish, and the male. But if in a general aquarium, that is probably no a feasable idea. The female will guard the brood, and the fry once free swimming. You might want to leave the lights on 24/7 to help her do this. The female will make a great parent. And the male may help, but may also try to eat the fry, as he will want to spawn again.

The eggs should hatch in about 2 days, give or take depending on the temp of your tank.



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There is always a bigger fish...

Depending on where you live, maybe get a good 20 percent RO change prior to hatching.

Eggs are gone

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

It happens often.

Choices for the culprits are:
- Parents,
- Scavengers,
- Opportunistic neighbors.

Generally, new parents require a couple of spawns to "get it right". These little cichlids will eat any eggs that turn white (sterile or fungus). A topical treatment of methyl blue will inhibit fungus.

As they inspect the eggs and clean them, they may eat the eggs if stressed by other fish in the tank. It then becomes a good idea to give a breeding pair their own tank.



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"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright