Apistogramma eremnopyge

[SinisterKisses]

Does anyone have any of these? I'm about to purchase two pairs of WC's from Peru. I've never even heard of them until the guy I'm buying them from posted that he was getting them in, and after a quick search, I've decided these little guys are absolutely gorgeous. Will they mix okay with my bitaeniata?

 

[fishgeek]

similar waterneeds though i find them to be shy and skitish
how much space is there in your tank?

andrew

 

[Mark]

I do not agree with Andrew, I think they are harder to breed. Keeping them is easy but for breeding you will need really soft (acidic) water. The bitaeniata doesn't always need these parameters.
They are very nice and not agressive so it is a good fish to buy.

Mark

 

[blueblue]

I do not agree with Andrew, I think they are harder to breed. Keeping them is easy but for breeding you will need really soft (acidic) water. The bitaeniata doesn't always need these parameters.
They are very nice and not agressive so it is a good fish to buy.

Mark

Hi Mark: Well, eremnopyge is probably a bit more technical to breed
compared to some bita, e.g., the tank bred bita;
while i would say that it is really similar to most bita in terms of the keeping
conditions and breeding conditions. I personally bred eremnopyge many times by using peat moss treated water

 

[Mike Wise]

I personally would not keep A. bitaeniata & A. eremnopyge in the same tank. They are closely related, polygamous, & territorial. There is a slight chance of cross-breeding & the males will be much more aggressive toward each other than if they were kept with a dissimilar species.

 

[mummymonkey]

I've found them to be very shy also.

 

[SinisterKisses]

They will be in a 33gal tank with my 2 bita (still young, but I think I have a male and a female), and two Gold Rams. The water softness isn't a problem...our water is unbelievably soft, to a point where I actually have to add some hardener becauses its a bit too soft for my Geos and Sevs. I'm not necessarily aiming to breed them, I just thought they looked like a very pretty fish.

 

[Mark]

As Mike said; mixing the two species is not a very good idea. The two species are too similar and that''s why the males will be more agressive to eachother than they would be to a completely different species. You can try and see if they do harm eachother or not. But be prepared to get one of the two out.
(You say you won't breed them so the fact that they might interbreed is not a problem in your tank.)

Mark

 

[SinisterKisses]

Lol well, if they DO breed, I would like them to be pure...I think what I'll do then, is take the bita pair out and put them into their own 10 or 15gal, and put the 4 erem's into the 33gal with the rams, see how they do.

 

[cdawson]

Lol well, if they DO breed, I would like them to be pure...I think what I'll do then, is take the bita pair out and put them into their own 10 or 15gal, and put the 4 erem's into the 33gal with the rams, see how they do.

Hey! Good to see you on here!

It will still be a problem being in with the rams unfourtunately though, either use the tank for the A. eremnopyge or for the rams, because having them in the same tank will probably amount to nothing.
The rams most likely won't do well long term with the low ph that the A. eremnopyge will need as well.
If you want to succeed with the A. eremnopyge then you really need to devote an entire tank to them. Remember these are WC from peru and are going to need TLC to begin with, they've travelled from SA to the US to Canada in a short period of time and could also have internal parasites.

 

[Mark]

You're talking about quarantaine now. Ofcourse the new fish might carry some diseases and they will be weak, but that has nothing to do with mixing them with ramirezi. I think you can mix them with the rami's because for both species Ph of about 6 will do fine. Breeding the eremnopyge is difficult in that water, but they will live a happy life. The result of mixing rami's with bitaeniata will be the same as mixing with eremnopyge when it comes to agression and chasing the other species. Seems a good tank setup to me.

Mark

 

[SinisterKisses]

Hey cdawson

Well, I currently have 2 gold rams in with my 2 bitas, and there haven't been any problems...neither one of them seems affected by the water (pH is currently at about 5.5, just tested yesterday), and they get along okay, pretty much ignoring each other. I don't mind having a species tank for the new apistos, but I don't really want to use an entire 33gal tank for 4 little apistos. Would a 20gal long be sufficient for 2 pairs of these guys?

 

[cdawson]

Hey cdawson

Well, I currently have 2 gold rams in with my 2 bitas, and there haven't been any problems...neither one of them seems affected by the water (pH is currently at about 5.5, just tested yesterday), and they get along okay, pretty much ignoring each other. I don't mind having a species tank for the new apistos, but I don't really want to use an entire 33gal tank for 4 little apistos. Would a 20gal long be sufficient for 2 pairs of these guys?

Definately not, a 20g will be just perfect for one pair, no more. IME a 33 is far too small for 4 cichlids, even though they are dwarfs. Despite their size they're just as territorial as their larger cousins. The aggression will be spread out with 4 of them, but eventually something is going to give.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Eh, doesn't matter anyway apparently, I'm not getting them now. Guess I'm sticking with my little bitas. Thanks anyway, though.