Aphiosemion ikea is a somewhat isolated color branch of the well-known species A. filamentosum. This species inhabits the Lagos area of Nigeria occupying an area with a radius of about thirty kilometers.
Representatives of this species are small in size. Males can reach 5-5.5 centimeters, females are somewhat smaller. As a rule, about 4.5 centimeters. Coloration is predominantly light yellow. The back of the male with a blue-green cast. Purple spots are scattered randomly throughout the body. On the anal and lower part of the caudal fin there is a horizontal line of brown color. The caudal fin is trident-shaped with a truncated middle tooth.
Aphiosemion Ikea maintenance conditions
Keep these fish in a tank of 15 liters or more. Water should be soft slightly acidic temperature of about 20 ºC. When keeping together several pairs of males can arrange fights between each other that end up nibbled fins, which is not very aesthetic and can end up festering damaged fins.
The bottom, as for other representatives of this genus should be lined with peat.
Javan moss, microzorium are suitable plants. From more accessible plants you can try to adapt spiral wallisneria, elodea.
You can feed them with small types of live food. You can try to accustom them to dry food.
This species is intermediate between annual and perennial Aphyosemiona. Producers can lay eggs both on plants and in the substrate.
Aphyosemion Ikea breeding.
It is somewhat more difficult to obtain offspring from eggs deposited on plants. This is due to the fact that such eggs do not go through diapause and begin to develop immediately. But since spawning in most species of aphiosemions stretched in time, and the eclipse of fry will not be simultaneous. Since the young aphyosemions are prone to cannibalism, you will need a lot of separate breeding tanks to contain fish of different sizes.
To obtain eggs deposited in the substrate should plant a pair of producers in a spawning tank with a capacity of 5 to 10 liters. The bottom should be covered with a layer of peat. The layer of water should be 5 – 7 centimeters. Spawning usually lasts about two weeks. After the end of spawning peat slightly squeezed and packed in plastic bags kept at a temperature close to 24 ºC about eleven weeks.
The peat is then filled with water at a temperature of about 17 ºC. Hatching takes place within two to three hours. In this case, it should be borne in mind that not all of the fry are hatching. This is another mechanism to protect offspring from the vagaries of the weather. Therefore, after two days of hatching fry put away in a pre-prepared vessel, and peat with the remaining eggs in it again squeezed, packed and kept for about two weeks at a higher temperature. This cycle sometimes has to be repeated several times until all the eggs germinate.
Feeding of fry
Feed the newly emerged fry with live dust gradually moving them to larger feeds as needed.
You should remember to sort the young fish by size as they grow to avoid cannibalism.
Aphiosemion Ikea is a very beautiful fish. If you have experience in keeping and breeding fish of the genus Aphyosemion can share your observations with visitors to our site.
