Apistogramma baenschi

[yanke]

hi
i picked up some f1 Apistogramma baenschi
saturday night :D
put them in the tank and have not seen them yet :cry:
they are hideing in the rocks i put in there for them
how long do they hide for
they are in a 2ftx12x14
i had 1/2 the water from my ram tank ph 6.5
and 1/2 new water ph is about 6.6 now in the tank
been set up for about 2 weeks
i have sand in there that was in the ram tank also
and the plants that was in the ram tank also
yanke

[Hassles]

hi
i picked up some f1 Apistogramma baenschi
saturday night :D
put them in the tank and have not seen them yet :cry:
they are hideing in the rocks i put in there for them
how long do they hide for
they are in a 2ftx12x14
i had 1/2 the water from my ram tank ph 6.5
and 1/2 new water ph is about 6.6 now in the tank
been set up for about 2 weeks
i have sand in there that was in the ram tank also
and the plants that was in the ram tank also
yanke

G'day Yanke

If the tank you're keeping these fish in does not have an adequate array of driftwood, rocks and plants the fish may feel insecure. You haven't mentioned if you have any other fish in with them. The presence of other fish, we often refer to as dither fish, makes the fish feel more secure eg: they will see the other fish swimming about and think "well nothing is trying to eat them it must be safe here" and they may then feel more confident about roaming about the tank. I suggest you purchase 3 pencilfish and place these into the tank and see how you go. Also consider the location of the tank, is it placed somewhere where you (or others) may "suddenly appear"? Such sudden appearances can be a concern for fish. Consider also, these fish are cave spawners and the presence of a cave, in which they may hide, will also make them feel a little more secure rather than them just hiding behind plants.

take care and enjoy these wonderful Apistos.

[BigDaddyAdo]

Why Pencilfish in particular and why only 3?

[Hassles]

Why Pencilfish in particular and why only 3?

Pencilfish are great dither fish.

Pencilfish are affordable.

Pencilfish will happily exist in a majority of Apistogramma environments.

Pencilfish don't generally occupy Apistogramma zones - eg: the bottom.

Pencilfish "ideally" exist in schools of 3 or more.

One dither fish just ain't gonna "cut the mustard" as we want our Apistos to feel secure AND more is unnecessary.

Will this be a satisfactory answer to your question?

[Robdog]

What if the "dither fish" don't feel comfortable enough to do the dithering? Do you need "dither fish" to make the "dither fish" feel secure enough to "dither"?

[yanke]

hi
i do have plants and some rocks
and a pot up side down with rock all around it to make caves
and some wood also
they have not come out of the cave yet
i get some dither fish for them
thanks yanke

[briztoon]

What if the "dither fish" don't feel comfortable enough to do the dithering? Do you need "dither fish" to make the "dither fish" feel secure enough to "dither"?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[BigDaddyAdo]

Why Pencilfish in particular and why only 3?

Pencilfish are great dither fish.

Pencilfish are affordable.

Pencilfish will happily exist in a majority of Apistogramma environments.

Pencilfish don't generally occupy Apistogramma zones - eg: the bottom.

Pencilfish "ideally" exist in schools of 3 or more.

One dither fish just ain't gonna "cut the mustard" as we want our Apistos to feel secure AND more is unnecessary.

Will this be a satisfactory answer to your question?

Yes it does. ;)

[Hassles]

What if the "dither fish" don't feel comfortable enough to do the dithering? Do you need "dither fish" to make the "dither fish" feel secure enough to "dither"?

the fish one generally employs as dither fish simply by their nature swim about the aquarium without too much concern. You could employ a small school of neon tetras if you wanted to so....your question holds scant pertinance and is not in the least bit constructive. If we want to play at sarcasm lets not sully this forum and do it off-line eh?

[BigDaddyAdo]

What if the "dither fish" don't feel comfortable enough to do the dithering? Do you need "dither fish" to make the "dither fish" feel secure enough to "dither"?

the fish one generally employs as dither fish simply by their nature swim about the aquarium without too much concern. You could employ a small school of neon tetras if you wanted to so....your question holds scant pertinance and is not in the least bit constructive. If we want to play at sarcasm lets not sully this forum and do it off-line eh?

You cant be serious!!!

It was a light hearted comment obviously meant as a joke. :roll:

[Merrilyn]

Okay, play nicely guys.

Hassles has kindly offered some good advice, and I'm sure it would have been gratefully received.

I know robdog was just engaging in a bit of light hearted banter, but it's very difficult to convey that in a written thread.

[Robdog]

He started it!

But I apologise for my questions apparent lack of pertinance :roll:

As for an offline sarcasm joust, you're on! :lol: :lol: I will fly to Melbourne tomorrow. No seriously, I'm flying to Melbourne tomorrow anyway so why not? :lol: :P

[Hassles]

He started it!

But I apologise for my questions apparent lack of pertinance :roll:

As for an offline sarcasm joust, you're on! :lol: :lol: I will fly to Melbourne tomorrow. No seriously, I'm flying to Melbourne tomorrow anyway so why not? :lol: :P

how long you gonna be in Melbourne ? I'm havin' a hell of a week with little time to spare but it'd be good to catch up.

better local aquariums are St.Kilda Aquarium, and Subscape in Richmond (only a few kilometers from St.Kilda) and both easy access from Melb CBD

I am collecting my parter Jan from Melbourne Airport tomorrow (Friday) at 10:40am - what time you arriving?

[Hassles]

Dither fish can be employed to make other fish feel more comfortable. A single pair of Apistogramma "may" have been taken from a tank where they had the company of 50 or more of their brothers and sisters and finding themselves suddenly alone is cause for concern - from their perspective.

Dither fish are also employed to diminish aggression between breeding pairs of fish and are placed into the tank so breeding pair can take their aggressions (which usually stems from parental protectiveness) out on the dither fish (often referred to as target fish) instead of one another. It is not uncommon for a female Apistogramma to kill her mate post spawning. When fry emerge it is the duty of the male to protect the territory but what if he has nothing to protect it from? He will them go about his usual business and this will attract the ire of the female. In this scenario you are well advised to rehouse the male in an alternate tank.

A dither / target fish should ideally be able to out-swim / manoeuvre the aggressors. If the chosen fish cannot they may be killed and you'll be back to square one. Pencilfish are widely in use among Apistogramma breeders. I myself have also employed Black Neon Tetras. I know others who use Hatchetfish.

Some Pencilfish are readily available and quite affordable while others are less common and quite expensive.

[BigDaddyAdo]

My worry has always been that the dithers will predate the fry.

[Hassles]

My worry has always been that the dithers will predate the fry.

Apistogramma are "usually" excellent parents but some pencilfish can be decidely bold. I have had the odd penclifish killed by A.baenschi or pullcapaensis

[jluna]

if predation is the worry, just keep the dithers down to two or maybe three. not ideal for most dither species, but hey - the apistos are the main concern. at low numbers the dithers will do their job, but won't be able to use group tactics to get the fry.

[gingerbeer01]

I don;t use dithers - but my tanks are next too each other so I have no problems anyway - and apistos are good parents.

I used to use dithers - still got them as they are like weeds - you think you got rid of them and they pop up again somewhere in the fish-room.