20 Galon tank with a pair of A. Cacatuoides

[Renan Fameli]

Hi all,

This tank is on my desk at work, previously it was a tank for a single polypterus delhezi that I found dry on the floor.
The thank stayed without any fish with just about 5 pomacea bridgesi, for about 2 months, I had a external and an internal filter running with glass wool and Sera Siporax.
I measured the pH beffore putting the fishes and it was around 6.5, I assure my TPA water is with the same pH using orange juice to balance because my tap water is around 7.0~7.4.

The setup:
20 Galon tank
200 L/h external filter
100 L/h internal filter
50w Thermostat
6Kg of basalt rocks
6Kg of basalt gravel

I have Java Moss and a plant that I really don't remember the name, is an easy plant that I keep.

The Fauna:
Well, I'm from Brazil and I still haven't found a really good place to buy dwarf cichlids, but I found two specimens that I believe to be the follow:

- Apistogramma cacatuoides "Triple Red"
- Apistogramma cacatuoides "Orange Flash"

They look very healthy and they are probably already adults, the "Triple Red" is measuring about 2.5 inches and the "Orange Flash" about 2.7 inches.
The only problem is the length of the tank that don't really work well to avoid fights even with some burrows for them.
Just when I released then they started to fight very hard, but I saw that they were not really hurting themselves but the stress was apparently high.

Trough the night at home I started to think on putting them in tanks apart, but trought today there didn't fought much, almost everytime was just the "Triple Red" running after the "Orange Flash" tail.

I have a video that I made just when I released them and some photos of today too.

It would be nice if the specimens identity could be confirmed and any advice given to this tank will be appreciated.






* For scale

* Video coming soon

 

[Renan Fameli]

I've uploaded the video at tinypic, its the one were I just released them and they are fighting for the dominance.

Click here to view the video

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, you have 2 males of the same species, A. cacatuoides - 1 Orange Flash and 1 Red-tail (or very poor strain of Triple Red). Both are males. I would expect them to fight for territory. As you have seen, this is more display than physical abuse. If given visual boundaries to separate territories, they should live together with only minor display threats.

I do not recommend orange juice in an aquarium as an acid to lower pH. It contains too much sugar, which can pollute the water. Your A. cacatuoides will live quite happily at slightly alkaline pH values, like your tap water. Good luck with your apistos and welcome to the forum.

 

[Renan Fameli]

Hi Mike,

They talk about red-tail, double-red and triple red here in Brazil, but the truth is they are all poor hibryd strains.

I found a female of each one and I will separate the couples on two tanks.

I was using orange juice as a more natural way to lower the pH, but the sugar can really pollute the water, maybe lime juice?

Thanks for the advices, this is my firdt experience with apistogrammas.

 

[chris1805]

If you found some females, you have to indeed separate them. Cacatuoides are mostly hold in the mix of 1 male and 2 females, this depends on the tank size you put them in though otherwise the females will kill each other since they fight for a territory as well.

Goodluck and i like your orange flash male!

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I was using orange juice as a more natural way to lower the pH, but the sugar can really pollute the water, maybe lime juice?.

No fruit juice is really suitable, they all contain too many sugars. Citric acid (C6H8O7) will lower pH and reduce TDS (via chelation) but you are much better off just using your tap water. You really need a measure of hardness (dKH) before you can interpret pH.

Is rain-water a possibility? I use it in the UK.

Having seen the video you need to either separate the males or add a lot more cover as they are quite likely to damage one another more seriously fairly soon.

cheers Darrel

 

[Renan Fameli]

Chris,
I will hold only a couple on each tank because I don't think this tank is suitable for a "community", too small.
The orange flash is bigger but is more peaceful, he is cornered and hiding itself on the plants since yesterday. I really want both to be healthy so I'm bringing this Orange Flash home and I'll let the Red-Tail at work.

Darrel,
I was looking for a natural way to change my pH besides the artificial products that I found around here, hydrochloric acid can be harmful too, and talking to some fellow aquarists they pointed me the lemon and orange juice, but if my tap water can be used without problems that would be much better.
About the rain water, I had an experience with a Electric Blue Dempsey wich rained inside the tank (it was under the window) and the dempsey dissolved itself like an aspirin, I had that fish for almost five years and it was very sad, I don't think the rain water around here is usable because I'm in a industrial area, I work at my family chemistry industry.

UPDATE:
The fishes are not fighting anymore and behaving so aggressively, still... I will put them on two tanks and acquire two females, one for each.

 

[trueblue82]

perhaps the best way is using ketappa leaves in the tank to lower ph or using ph lowering substrate like ada aqua soil.(malaya or africana).

Dont use ada amazonia as it will leech ammonia into the tank if its not cycled.