100 gallon apisto plans

[Theo1994]

Hello dear community,

I have a 150x40x60 cm tank (100 gallons) and I want to add 3 or 4 apisto types (agassizii, cacatuoides, macmasteri or whatever else is available, definitely though agassizii and cacatuoides), bolivian rams and nannacara along with 2 types of tetras (50 or more each school), mb some bottom feeders as well .

So the first question is if I stock with 1 male of each dwarf cichlid is this gonna work? If i stock with 3 or 4 from each type? Getting probably a pair and a dominant male etc. I plan the tank to be decently planted, with rocks and wood etc. Α pair of each would work? Im not looking for fry I just want the best interaction and color that comes with a male and a female. Does anyone have experience on such a tank?

Thanks in advance.

 

[MacZ]

I would stick to one species of apistogramma and maybe one other genus. A. agassizii and Nannacara could eventually work together.
2 males, 3-4 females of the apistos and a pair or a trio of Nannacara. Provided the tank is suitably structured so they can have their territories. Think 60cm diameter per male Apisto and 30cm diameter per female.

Mixing too many fish in one zone of the tank (in case of dawrf cichlids the lower third), will lead to a lot of stress even in a tank that size. If you keep dwarf cichlids with other bottomdwellers, those will at one point be chased around a lot, at least when the cichlids start to breed.

In my opinion, while you can do mixed tanks of bigger cichlids (angels, mesonauta, severums) or of central american or east african species, mixing too many dwarf cichlids is inviting difficulties that can be prevented. Many south american dwarf cichlids profit greatly from low population and species density in a tank.

 

[Theo1994]

Hello sir and thanks for the reply. Yes I know bottom dwellers will get ran down, my spawning kribs are chasing the corys like crazy. But what if i get only males so there's no chance of breeding? Will they still need a 60 cm territory? I think i ve read here somewhere about males only tanks being more community friendly.

 

[MacZ]

Hello sir and thanks for the reply. Yes I know bottom dwellers will get ran down, my spawning kribs are chasing the corys like crazy.

I tried a single male Apisto with Corydoras habrosus. The fact I only got the apisto anymore speaks for itself, I think. I removed the cories after two weeks. Too much for both sides.

But what if i get only males so there's no chance of breeding? Will they still need a 60 cm territory?

They will still need their territory, even if the awaited female never shows up. I know keeping a single male Apisto is not a problem, a group... I can't tell for sure, but it doesn't seem a good idea to do with several species, as this could lead to interspecies problems.

I think i ve read here somewhere about males only tanks being more community friendly.

Still such an overcrowding as you seem to aim for is a bit much. Maybe try two from different species and look from there. Definitely try to structure so they can establish their territories, should take out some of the spice.

 

[anewbie]

I have a 40b with nannacara, cockatoo (a fish that doesnt' excite me) and some orange and pygmy cory and as far as I can tell they mostly get along. The cory mostly stay in the back 'cept during feeding time and the apsito mostly stay in front the nanna are a bit more diverse in location. I really haven't noticed any issues with my cichlid and cory but they grew up together and my tank is very densely planted - maybe too dense. Have to say the nanna really like the density.

 

[Theo1994]

Hello sirs and thank you both for your time. Yes I m pretty sure the dense planting will surely be helpful for such a crowded tank I m planning. From what I understand you have a single male of cacatuoides and nannacara right?
If I begin though with 2 species (pairs trios or w/e), and they do get along establish territories etc adding more later on wouldn't be more problematic? Or should I begin with smaller ones (agassizii) and if they get along I ll add a cacatuoides or sth later, which is bigger and may redefine the territories? Or such an action is gonna create more problems than I m trying to solve? Sorry for the persistent questions, thanks for your help.

 

[anewbie]

I have 1m/2f of both cockatoo and nannacara in the tank. I'm not 100% sure it works to have more than 1 female with the nannacara. I know the two females have a dislike for each other - the male seems willing to mate to 'flirt' with both but i'm not 100% sure of the dynamics. they have been together for 4 months. This tank is in my bedroom so it gets least visibility and mostly at feeding time but sometime I sit there and watch them.
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This is a slightly out of date picture - i've been trimming a bit of the front foilage to open things up a little in the very front but the back is now denser also there are more floating plants to reduce the light level a bit - the mid/back is quite dark relative to the front

:

 

[Toby_H]

One of the favorite set up I’ve had of all time was…

A 72” (183cm) x 18” (46cm) @ 21” 53cm) tall, 125 US gallon (473 litre) aquarium… Heavily decorated with driftwood and rocks, some plants…

It went through a series of evolutions, but eventually I added two established pairs of A. Cacatuoides. At this point there were 20-30 tetras.

Over the next several years those two breeding pairs evolved into a thriving and dynamic breeding colony. It was a true pleasure to watch the evolution of dynamics that took place in this tank.

Several times a year I’d have to remove subdominant males to prevent them from being bullied. I occasionally removed a dominant male and a couple of females. Each time I made such a change, the social dynamics would tumble back into evolution.



While I find it a real pleasure to keep and watch individual or pairs of Apistos, that simply doesn’t compare with watching a colony evolve. Thus I encourage you to give yourself this chance in your 100 gallon tank.

 

[Theo1994]

Hello both and thanks for the replies

The tank in the picture looks awesome, but I m not planning on such a heavily planted tank, along with the maintenance. I love plants, I have on all of my 4 tanks but I like to watch them grow slowly.

As far as the colony is concerned, this the first time I hear about it. It definitely sounds interesting, I ll look more in to it. What really intrigues me about apistos is their different and beautiful colors , shapes sizes etc that's why I really wanna stock different apistos together, of course with due dilligence.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

but I m not planning on such a heavily planted tank,

that's why I really wanna stock different apistos together, of course with due dilligence.

That isn't really that heavily planted. If you don't have a lot of plants you need to make use of wood and structural leaf litter to break up line of sight.

This is particularly important if you are going to have multiple Apistogramma spp. in the same tank. If a dominant fish can see across a large swathe of sand all of the area it can see becomes its territory.

cheers Darrel

 

[Theo1994]

Thanks a lot sir.
I'm definitely not going to plant that heavily, let alone the fact this is not a "heavily" planted tank. I use different kinds of wood in all of my tanks, and of course some rocks. Thank you all for your input, I ll take some time planning my next tank.