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Re: KillieTalk Digest V2 #158
Reply to John Burns Re Aphy Sjoestedti.
Aphyosemion Sjoestedti is a native of Nigeria, Cameroun,
there are three varieties in the UK at present, Warri, Dwarf Red
and the standard Sjoestedti. I have kept and bred all three,
I hate that expression ( I bred ) what I should say is, I gave them
the conditions and they done the rest.
This fish in my experience, prefers peat moss, I have never
tried sphagnum, it will lay in a bottom mop, but peat is best.
It likes an acid water about 6 - 6.4 ph and fairly soft about
10 - 15 ppm general hardness, eggs and peat are medium
dried for 2 months then placed in the same type of water as
they were spawned in, they will hatch in about 10 - 24 hours,
any eggs that do not hatch, dry and try 1 month later, I have
only had limited success water incubating these eggs, it
seems to produce a lot of belly sliders.
As to feeding, this like all fish prefers live food, adults can
easily eat 2, 4 inch earth worms every 2 days.
Be very careful when keeping the females with the males
as this fish is a hard driver and has been known to kill the
female if she is not ready.
This lovely fish grows to 12cm male and slightly smaller for
the female, I kept them at 20 - 22 c and the water, because
peat is used is a golden colour.
I use peat moss from garden centres, as long as there are
no additives it is ok and a damn sight cheaper than the peat
sold in aquarium shops, whilst on this subject the same applies
to filter wool, use the polypropylene stuffing sold for soft toys,
it's the same stuff and about 100 times cheaper.
John.