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What do I do with all these babies?

Gotcha! I wish I had enough rainwater. I change out nearly 200L of water every week so not practical for me lol.

Happy Birthday too! I'm also a February baby
Who needs the gym when you're doing rainwater waterchanges on a big tank on the second floor? Another benefit of the hobby I suppose... :eek:

Thank you! Happy Birthday to you too February baby! 🥳🤩
 
Hi all,
Where did you source yours from, I've never seen them in any of the shops I go to or on any online lists?
You can occasionally pick up Dicrossus filamentosus, they come in as by-catch with Cardinal Tetra etc. If you ask around shops locally they may be willing to retain any that come in that way for you.

Dicrossus maculatus would be more problematic, I got mine from "Rare Aquatics", who have since shut. A friend picked them up for me (from Crewe), and I collected them subsequently from him in Bristol. They were great for 18 months (I got them as juveniles), but eventually bloated.

A fairly general observation with Dicrossus spp. is that they need very careful feeding as adults.
It is fascinating how difficult it is to capture the beautiful of fish in photographs and even videos, somehow their brilliance and subtle irridescence never quite gets captured.
Really difficult to photograph, the blue Apistogramma males are the same. This <"the best I've got">, but I'm not a photographer and it doesn't really do him justice.

dicrossus_clup_aug2012_flash_web-jpg.jpg


cheers Darrel
 
Hi all,

You can occasionally pick up Dicrossus filamentosus, they come in as by-catch with Cardinal Tetra etc. If you ask around shops locally they may be willing to retain any that come in that way for you.

Dicrossus maculatus would be more problematic, I got mine from "Rare Aquatics", who have since shut. A friend picked them up for me (from Crewe), and I collected them subsequently from him in Bristol. They were great for 18 months (I got them as juveniles), but eventually bloated.

A fairly general observation with Dicrossus spp. is that they need very careful feeding as adults.

Really difficult to photograph, the blue Apistogramma males are the same. This <"the best I've got">, but I'm not a photographer and it doesn't really do him justice.

dicrossus_clup_aug2012_flash_web-jpg.jpg


cheers Darrel
Ooh that's interesting, when the tank is set up I'll start to ask around then. Do they come to shops in bags with the tetras?

I think the filamentosus look like the ones to get if I can, according to @alto's link they might be a bit easier to breed, and if they're easier to find too then that's grand.

What did you feed yours? In the summer the waterbutts are booming, but the winter is a lot more difficult. I think I need to learn more about cultures and see if I can set some up in the shed or something.

Your male looks beautiful still, almost gold, with those crazy blue ventrils and red! It reminds me a bit of my sparkling gouramis but better. Very sweet, definitely at the top of the new stocking list!
 
Hi all,
Do they come to shops in bags with the tetras?
Yes, they come in with wild collected fish, you also occasionally get Apistogramma iniridae and Poecilocharax weitzmani as well. Problem is that you usually only get one at a time.
they might be a bit easier to breed,
More difficult I think, they need really soft water. I kept them a long time ago and I never got them to spawn.
What did you feed yours? In the summer the waterbutts are booming, but the winter is a lot more difficult. I think I need to learn more about cultures and see if I can set some up in the shed or something.
It was the winter where it all went wrong, I fed them more Black and Grindal worms.

I'd definitely feed them a lot more crustaceans, if there is a "next time". Baby Brine Shrimp is used as a staple by lots of dwarf cichlid keepers, but Dicrossus will eat pretty much everything, including Earthworm flakes etc.

cheers Darrel
 
Hi all,

Yes, they come in with wild collected fish, you also occasionally get Apistogramma iniridae and Poecilocharax weitzmani as well. Problem is that you usually only get one at a time.

More difficult I think, they need really soft water. I kept them a long time ago and I never got them to spawn.

It was the winter where it all went wrong, I fed them more Black and Grindal worms.

I'd definitely feed them a lot more crustaceans, if there is a "next time". Baby Brine Shrimp is used as a staple by lots of dwarf cichlid keepers, but Dicrossus will eat pretty much everything, including Earthworm flakes etc.

cheers Darrel
Cardinals, dicrossus a. Irniridae and those fabulous Poecilocharax weitzmani repair make a great tank too! Never heard of that kind of tetra, v pretty.

How do you get the water so soft? My rainwater is about 6.5, with a GH of 0 and KH between 0 and 4. Is it just shed loads of leaves? Do you think there could live nice lives in my water in the new tank, and I could keep my current tank and change it into a blackwater breeding tank of they look perky? I don't feel the need to try breed them, though it would be nice to try once. The apistos were great because they were quite easy, just a few seedpods, my water as normal and a slightly higher temp, I don't want to go to extremes for it in a community tank.

Ahh good old BBS, I'm a dab hand at that after all the feedings the apistos get. Not sure I'm into making worm crisps, earthworms are sacred creatures in my house! If I managed to breed some I'd make sure you got some to give it a second go, though you may wait several years 😂
 
Hi all,
Poecilocharax weitzmani .......... Never heard of that kind of tetra, v pretty.
Yes, they don't really behave like a Tetra. I've only seen singletons (and all male), but if I was somewhere where there were a few more I'd be very tempted, despite what I just said about blackwater fish.

We have an inactive member (@bogman) who bred them, which is <"a really unusual event"*>.

* I'd strongly advise all of you not to look at this thread unless you want severe fish (and fish tank) envy.

cheers Darrel
 
Bear in mind I live in Norfolk, but it's not that weird to breed siblings.

Another great quote from this topic

Cross breeding parent fish to their fry (carefully written) and sibling fish to each other has been a long practise in the fish world to develop certain characteristics such as colour or elongated fins just look at how many strains of guppy exist
I suspect it has also been used on other domesticated animals such as dogs and cats to give us all the breeds that are available but I don’t have any first hand experience of it but I’m sure there will be more knowledgable members on here to lend an expert opinion


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Poecilocharax weitzmani repair make a great tank too! Never heard of that kind of tetra, v pretty.
These are great, I’ve got a group at the moment. More like a dwarf cichlid than a tetra. The males when they display are something else! I’d highly recommend them.

Cheers
 

Wonderful, I love watching the fish in the wild videos on youtube, it's what made me realise I needed to add way more leaves to the tank! Seeing those big mixed schools is so magical 😍

Hi all,

Yes, they don't really behave like a Tetra. I've only seen singletons (and all male), but if I was somewhere where there were a few more I'd be very tempted, despite what I just said about blackwater fish.

We have an inactive member (@bogman) who bred them, which is <"a really unusual event"*>.

* I'd strongly advise all of you not to look at this thread unless you want severe fish (and fish tank) envy.

cheers Darrel

Omg I can't believe I've never seen this thread!! I love how many amazing tanks are lurking on this site, super inspiring, what a wonderful selection of fish and plants. I dream of the days of 6-foot tanks with monster java ferns...

I just asked Ian Glaubes @ Kew Aquatics this morning about some fish (he has Dicrossus filamentosus!!! omg!!!), and he said he also sometimes has Poecilocharax weitzmani! Apparently also sometimes some Ammocryptocharax elegans, which is another gorgeous little fish that's caught my eye. He is where I got my Apisto motherfish from too.

Another great quote from this topic

Cross breeding parent fish to their fry (carefully written) and sibling fish to each other has been a long practise in the fish world to develop certain characteristics such as colour or elongated fins just look at how many strains of guppy exist
I suspect it has also been used on other domesticated animals such as dogs and cats to give us all the breeds that are available but I don’t have any first hand experience of it but I’m sure there will be more knowledgable members on here to lend an expert opinion


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is a very good point! Probably my parent-fish, despite coming from different sources are distant cousins, being a specific colourful version of the macmasteri (they're red masks). I won't worry about all the hanky panky for now....

These are great, I’ve got a group at the moment. More like a dwarf cichlid than a tetra. The males when they display are something else! I’d highly recommend them.

Cheers

Listen, you can't tell us something like this and not show us a little picture or something, they sound fascinating and I want to see! More like a dwarf cichlid??? Why isn't my new tank big enough to fit all of these wonderful fish in it!
 
Listen, you can't tell us something like this and not show us a little picture or something, they sound fascinating and I want to see! More like a dwarf cichlid???

Ha I’ll try grab some pictures of them, they’re pretty secretive little things that lurk around in the plants most of the time. The Ammocryptocharax sound great and you should definitely give them a go. It’s one that’ll be on the wish list when I upgrade this aquarium in the near future.

Another one which is great but a bit larger than the weitzmani is crenuchus spilurus. They’re like a darter tetra on steroids. Another one which is much more dwarf cichlid like than characin. A great fish with very interesting behaviour.

Cheers
 
show us a little picture or something
Managed to take some terrible pictures, the showy males were being quite shy but managed to coax them out briefly with tetra prima. To be fair this is normally the case as they defend little territories in the plants whilst the females roam the whole aquarium.

Cheers
 

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Managed to take some terrible pictures, the showy males were being quite shy but managed to coax them out briefly with tetra prima. To be fair this is normally the case as they defend little territories in the plants whilst the females roam the whole aquarium.

Cheers
Wonderful, looks like your coral pencils (?) are trying to steal the show! They go very well together, I love the weird little faces of the tetras.

Ha I’ll try grab some pictures of them, they’re pretty secretive little things that lurk around in the plants most of the time. The Ammocryptocharax sound great and you should definitely give them a go. It’s one that’ll be on the wish list when I upgrade this aquarium in the near future.

Another one which is great but a bit larger than the weitzmani is crenuchus spilurus. They’re like a darter tetra on steroids. Another one which is much more dwarf cichlid like than characin. A great fish with very interesting behaviour.

Cheers
crenuchus-spilurus.png


Look at this face!! They look so grumpy 😂 Darter tetras are so fascinating.
 
Would love a male/female Apistogramma Macmasteri Redmask when u have them for sale also happy to pay for them to be posted. Keep me updated. Congratulations on the success 🙃
 
Would love a male/female Apistogramma Macmasteri Redmask when u have them for sale also happy to pay for them to be posted. Keep me updated. Congratulations on the success 🙃
Thank you! I will have some ready soon but sadly I'm not going to be able to ship them, I've never done it before and I don't feel confident that I could do it safely.

----

<I posted an update about these babies in my new thread about my new tank, which the tanks will live in as a grow-out tank before I do it up properly.>

If anyone wants a group of unsexed (ish, I might be able to make some guesses) Apistogramma Macmasteri Redmask juveniles I think there are some big enough to go as most are 2cm, with maybe 4-6 being 3cm. If interested, they'd have to be picked up from South London I don't think I can ship. Of course people can wait longer too and get them bigger lol, but they're already very cute and funny and it is a joy to see them grow, so I get it if people are interested in that. I think I will try to set up the bigger tank this weekend, so I could sort some of the bigger ones out then if anyone was interested. No worries if not, I can always give them to the LFS, I do enjoy watching them grow.

I probably won't update this post anymore, it'll all go into the new journal.

PXL_20210302_103520942b.jpg
 
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