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View Full Version : Borelli (opal) fry emerge - Finally



Hassles
Tue Feb 10, 2009, 11:42 AM
After having eaten the eggs of their last 3 attempts at breeding, my A.borelli (opal) finally emerged this afternoon with their brood of young - says I breathing a sigh of relief.

The A.nijsseni are going through the motions at present so I expect to make a similar announcement soon.

Anyone with a hongsloi male for sale ? ? ? Ideally in Melbourne

harley
Sat Feb 14, 2009, 05:50 AM
Congratulatuions, I hope the fry are doing well.

You seem to be having a high sucess rete. Just wondering what the water parameters were? and the tank set-up. Any tank mates?

I have just aquired a pair of A.nijsseni myself. So I would interested in the details there as well, when you get them going.

Cheers.

Hassles
Sat Feb 14, 2009, 10:29 AM
My (Melbourne) tap water is PH neutral. After I set up a new tank it will be approx PH 6 in about 3 weeks. I don't buffer water for most species, the water parameters change predictably and I then undertake frequent small water changes so the parameters don't change too much from there.

Most of my Apistogramma have spawned in PH values around 6. I use dither fish in most of my Apistogramma tanks with these usually being Pencilfish but I have also used Blue-Eyes and Black Neons. I find the Pencilfish (Golden Pencilfish a favourite and dwarf Pencilfish) and the Black Neons to be more suitable than the Blue-Eyes. I have had A.steindachneri breed in a bristlenose tank. Bristlenose is not a fish you want your Apistogramma harrassing as injuries will result. Apistogrammas are pretty protective parents and bristlenose is a pretty tough fish with some nasty spikes / bristles

My A. nijsseni are going through the motions in a tank with a few dozen Orange Spot juveniles so the OS are scheduled for relocation. I find that the nijsseni ain't too keen on sharing their tank space. I'll move the OS and put in some neons I think.

all the best with your pair :)

Hassles
Sat Feb 14, 2009, 10:33 AM
well - sigh - I cannot find a sign of fry in the bloody tank. I relocated the male as it appeared to be giving the female a hard time. Looks like its back to the drawing board and maybe a relocation of the tank - perhaps a new environment might work!!! says I gritting teeth :?

Hassles
Sun Feb 22, 2009, 12:38 PM
Ok, well the female laid another batch of eggs and again these have been eaten. I sense immense frustration from the male to be honest. The next time I see eggs I am relocating the female!! - damn

kevinicus
Mon Feb 23, 2009, 08:19 AM
bad luck buddy, but dont give up!

Hassles
Mon Mar 02, 2009, 12:51 AM
I discovered fry, albeit extremely small, in the tank yesterday. This is the 2nd time I have seen fry in the tank. If these disappear the eggs will be relocated or I shall relocate the female upon the next discovery of eggs. So..... I again have my fingers crossed.

Hassles
Mon Mar 02, 2009, 09:19 AM
Ok, I see fry again today but I ain't too keen to peak too long. I have bred about 7 Apisto species but I have never experienced this type behaviour / scenario before this. The 'standard' 2 foot tank ( 54 litres ) is moderately complex with driftwood, slate, caves and rocks on a gravel base - PH 6. The only other inhabitants are a couple of pencilfish and a few blue eyes. The tanks sits adjacent to an identical tank full of jurensis fry and is in a reasonably busy part of the household. My fingers are still crossed. I was expecting my first fry to emerge last November.

kristina
Sat Mar 28, 2009, 01:39 AM
How are they going, hassles? do you have any pics of tanks? I've developed a new hobby of looking at other people's tanks for inspiration, its almost as addictive as keeping the fish themselves, you should try it, its so much cheaper! :lol: so how is the breeding going? are the same fry still alive today or are they eaten? have they bred again, did you remove female?? please tell me im dying to find out.

Hassles
Sat Mar 28, 2009, 07:59 PM
G'day Kristina

I am back to square 1 with the borelli I'm affraid - I think Im gunna' have to relocate the tank - can't think what else to do other than get a new pair of fish. hmm, maybe I'll relocate them to the bristlenose grow-out tank with 30 plus orange spots, maybe then they will learn to appreciate their environment :?

This (from my perspective) is seriously bizzare

These fish were originally housed with a trio of L066 juveniles which I relocated to a community tank so they could grow out some.

kristina
Mon Mar 30, 2009, 01:52 AM
Hopefully I will have a 4ft up and running in the next millennium. They might like Sydney better, and thats why your having the hassles with them, tee hee hee. :lol: and I'm still interested in pics if your willing to show them.

Hassles
Mon Jun 01, 2009, 12:37 PM
The borellii have fry - again. The fry are quite small so hopefully they will survive. The fry emerged a few days ago so fingers crossed. The mother is slowly moving about with her brood and doesn't appear to be overly anxious about the presence of the male. This is the best outcome from this pair to date. Just as a new pair of borellii opal arrive too!!!! figures.

The PH is 6 and the temperature about 25. I would have expected such small fry are higher temperatures but not at 25. I'll keep you posted.

boydvd
Mon Jun 01, 2009, 12:46 PM
congrats glenn!

what will you do with your new borelli?

boydvd
Mon Jun 01, 2009, 01:06 PM
congrats glenn!

what will you do with your new borelli?

Hassles
Mon Jun 01, 2009, 01:53 PM
A: I am not obligated to accept them

B: If I accept & breed them I will 'probably' cross breed both strains to establish another line and maintain DNA integrity

C: If I accept & breed them I can supply non related paired fish to those who wish to acquire them

Thats providing of course I don't acquire a pair of your panduro fry and run out of tank space (again) :roll: heh heh heh.

Silkjc
Thu Feb 17, 2011, 06:08 AM
Digging up an old thread!
My borelli opals have fry! The mother emerged today with them..I can only count a few so I suspect there has been some munching...
Temperature is 26 (down from 28 the last few weeks), ph looks to be about 6.4. The mother seems to be doing a very good job at keeping the (completely minding his own business) male away.

Fingers crossed! I'll be feeding a swipe of microworms and green water twice a day. Blackworms to the male to keep him full.

Silkjc
Thu Feb 17, 2011, 07:11 AM
Spoke too soon...just removed the male after witnessing him munch on his baby.

Hassles
Thu Feb 17, 2011, 08:31 AM
Spoke too soon...just removed the male after witnessing him munch on his baby.

Just be mindful - Apistogramma often suck their young into their mouths only to spit them back out where they 'ought to be. In this way the parents often relocate wayward fry. Obviously if you observe any munching and witness no relocation you can suspect the worst.

take care