More new additions - macmasteri

[Cydeth]

I picked this pair up last night, along with a group of 6 Nannostomus Marilynae.

They are still settling in, but so far they are looking quite comfortable. So far I have been able to get them to eat some frozen daphnia and I will probably try them with some flake or granules later this evening.

Apistogramma Macmasteri

 

[Cydeth]

They are both colouring up well, the female in particular.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Very nice...

 

[Kolykaf]

I picked this pair up last night, along with a group of 6 Nannostomus Marilynae.

They are still settling in, but so far they are looking quite comfortable. So far I have been able to get them to eat some frozen daphnia and I will probably try them with some flake or granules later this evening.

Apistogramma Macmasteri

I love macmasteri apistos! I’ve got the gold variety.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Gorgeous! Are they in a planted tank?

Awesome that they're sitting on eggs already - they really must like their new home! Please keep us updated on progress, would like to keep some apistos some day, learn a lot from people journalling their breeding experiences!

 

[Cydeth]

Gorgeous! Are they in a planted tank?

Awesome that they're sitting on eggs already - they really must like their new home! Please keep us updated on progress, would like to keep some apistos some day, learn a lot from people journalling their breeding experiences!

They are in a planted tank, yes.

I believe there are 8 varieties of plant in there currently, 10 if you include floaters.

I'll try and get some photos if the eggs hatch successfully, right now they are stuck to the top of a coconut hide being guarded by the female.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

They are in a planted tank, yes.

I believe there are 8 varieties of plant in there currently, 10 if you include floaters.

I'll try and get some photos if the eggs hatch successfully, right now they are stuck to the top of a coconut hide being guarded by the female.

Any chance of photos of the tank too?

Sorry, I'm nosey! Love seeing other people's aquariums and fish, gives me inspiration

 

[Cydeth]

@AdoraBelle Dearheart @kribensis12

 

[Cydeth]

This is about as good as the photos will get for now. I don't want to spook anybody.

 

[kribensis12]

Absolutely beautiful! The female's coloration is absolutely striking!

I know that research indicates that the dark black coloration of the fins helps mom direct the fry from one location to the next - I love to watch them and figure out if I can tell what she is communicating!

 

[Cydeth]

Absolutely beautiful! The female's coloration is absolutely striking!

I know that research indicates that the dark black coloration of the fins helps mom direct the fry from one location to the next - I love to watch them and figure out if I can tell what she is communicating!

Thank you, I agree that she's a great looking fish. She's darker than the video actually shows, I think youtube has altered the colour a little.

I must admit that I've sat and watched for signalling as well, although I think they have been too subtle for me to spot. They have been following her pretty closely though, so whatever she's doing seems to be working for them.

I've got my camera charging so I'll try to get some better pictures later.

 

[Cydeth]

The female and babies are not willing to sit still while I take better photos, but I got one that I think isn't bad.

The male is posing though, so that's good.

 

[Cydeth]

The babies are coming along well and seem to be growing quite nicely. They are still too small to really focus on to get better pictures, and even if they were bigger they are zipping around in plants and seed pods so it's pretty difficult to get even an accurate head count.

I'm quite surprised how active the male is in caring for them, he is patrolling a perimeter around the female and helping her chase off the pencil fish if they get too close. He also moves closer when the female moves away to eat, and retreats when she's finished.

I'm also surprised at how many times I've seen him take any babies that have moved too far from the female into his mouth and shuttle them back over to her. I initially thought he was eating them, but he certainly isn't.

He is not always appreciated by the female though, I've seen her dart at him numerous times and he's taken a couple of nicks to his caudal fin as a result. Nothing serious and he doesn't seem concerned, but I'm monitoring it and I'll move him if I need to.

 

[kribensis12]

He is very pretty! My female does not really enjoy the male being anywhere near the fry.

If he gets to close she briefly attacks him until he keeps his distance. Sometimes she lets him nearby, but normally not. I can see why they are harem breeders because in the wild he'd likely just find another to mate with since he's not really welcome.

 

[Cydeth]

This pair is doing great still.

The first group of babies spent about 5 weeks with the parents and then I was forced to move them to another tank. The female had once again laid eggs in her chosen hide and was defending it if anybody came close, I removed the babies when that attention also included them.

It's impossible to know precisely how many made it to the second tank although I believe there are about 25. They are all feeding happily on artemia, crushed granules and brine shrimp.

The attached photo is the new batch.