Less aggressive apisto

[PissBabyTheFourth]

I was wondering which of these apisto species would be the least aggressive?

Apistogramma eremnopyge, Apistogramma barlowi, Apistogramma eunotus, Apistogramma allpahuayo, apistogramma agassizii, apistogramma cacatuoides

 

[Ben Rhau]

Cacatuoides by a mile.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Gotcha, do you know where I could find a wild caught pair or a pair with like wild type colors? I’m in the US

 

[Ben Rhau]

Yeah, go to the Apistogramma & Dwarf Cichlid Buy/Sell/Trade group on the Band app. JD Aquatics has them right now.

 

[Mike Wise]

IMHO A. eunotus forms tend to be less aggressive. These species are not highly polygamous, like A. agassizii, A. cacatuoides and A. allpahuayo, nor well known for their aggressive tendencies like A. barlowi. The first 3 species are strongly polygamous and males try to establish as large a territory as possible. If a female is not ready to breed the males try to drive them away in hopes of finding a more willing partner. Eunotus forms are what I call casually polygamous. They will breed with any female but are just as willing to 'accept what comes'. There are exceptions to every rule, of course.

 

[MacZ]

Not to forget tank dimensions and structure. A 200 liter tank, badly structured, is just as much a guarantee for aggression problems as is a 60 liter tank with perfect structure but a dozen of very territorial fish in it.

 

[Ben Rhau]

You should, of course, listen to Mike. Based on others’ accounts, I’ve seen a lot of success with cacatuoides compared with agassizzii and allpahuayo, but this is partly due to the popularity of the aquarium strains. In terms of availability, I have seen eunotus listed before, but not that often.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Ah ok, my tank is going to be a 20 gallon long so it’ll be 30 inches long, the other stocking will be 8 marbled hatchetfish and 6 otocinclus cocama. I’m looking for a wild pair so whatever’s known to be the most docile in the wild would be the best

 

[Ben Rhau]

Apistos aren't super docile in general, but that's what makes them interesting. I think you can go with a number of choices and be OK as long as you're paying attention. I'm not aware that wild caught cacatuoides are any more aggressive than the domestic strains.

If you want to go by the suggestion of species that aren't highly polygamous, you can look elsewhere in <the regani lineage>. As I suggested before, the borellii complex or the alacrina group could work. Also Apistogrammoides pucallpaensis.

Elsewhere in the lineage is the macmasteri group, whose members have a reputation for being a bit more boisterous than the above groups.

I would definitely avoid the ortegai subcomplex if you're looking for docile.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Ok so I think I’m gonna go with Apistogrammoides Pucallpaensis. What male to female ratio should I do? The tank dimensions are 30.25 x 12.5 x 12.75 inches, the other stocking will be 8 marbled hatchetfish and 6 otocinclus cocama.

 

[MacZ]

Apistogrammoides are known to live among floating plants. Might get into conflict with the hatchets.

 

[Ben Rhau]

They’re typically kept in pairs, but if the seller has an excess of females, I think it’s reasonable to try a trio.

You’ll have to wait until the spring orders come in, but you should be able to find them. In the meantime, you want lots of infusoria building up in your tanks. The fry are so tiny, they won’t take BBS right away.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Gotcha, how do I get the infusoria to grow? And what are some other foods I could try for the fry?

 

[Ben Rhau]

Best way is to keep a lot of floating plants and mosses and let the tank mature. People also culture rotifers and paramecium, but I’ve never done it.

Ram breeders also use vinegar eels or microworms for fry that are too small for BBS. I’m not sure if Apistogrammoides fry will take that or not, but it’s really cheap to try.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Ah ok, I’ve been thinking of culturing vinegar eels and micro worms so I’ll start as soon as possible!

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Also, is there any way I can reduce aggression between the Apistogrammoides and hatchets?

 

[MacZ]

Also, is there any way I can reduce aggression between the Apistogrammoides and hatchets?

It's not about aggression and if so it's one-sided the cichlids shushing away the hatchets. It's just that both species like the same part of the water column. Conflict would simply mean stress for both species. Though if the cichlids start to breed... only way would be to remove the hatchets in that case.

 

[Hellfishguy]

I have some F2 cacatuoides Rio Nanay growing out. There are Epiplatys dageti in with them as dithers, which are usually ignored,

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

It's not about aggression and if so it's one-sided the cichlids shushing away the hatchets. It's just that both species like the same part of the water column. Conflict would simply mean stress for both species. Though if the cichlids start to breed... only way would be to remove the hatchets in that case.

I’m a little confused because I can’t find anywhere that says the apistogrammoides like to stay at the top, and all the videos I’ve seen of em just show them staying at the bottom. Where did you find that info?

 

[MacZ]

I’m a little confused because I can’t find anywhere that says the apistogrammoides like to stay at the top, and all the videos I’ve seen of em just show them staying at the bottom. Where did you find that info?

Watching them in the tank of a friend. He has had a few for a while and they stayed among the roots of Pistia and Limnobium a lot. You will find the info as well on Tom's Homepage .