Apisto group question

[aarhud]

Hello,

I tried to search the forums, but not much luck. Generally, are the species in the same group (Cacatuoides, Regani, ect) similar in temperament?

I currently have a domestic strain of A. cacatuoides and the interactions are great, but I have never been fond of the gaudy colors. I keep the fish in a 6ft tank with three males (one is a sneaker male) and 9 females. I am looking for a species that will behave similar to cacatuoides.

Would trifasciata behave similar?

Feel free to suggest others that work fairly well as a breeding colony. As odd as it sounds, I think I enjoy working with the species that are less colorful. On the downside, I am selling the six foot tank and downgrading the apistogramma to a 55 gallon, but I am assuming I would have room for 1m4f as long as I space out territories correctly.

Aaron

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, species within a complex are usually similar in temprament. Just realize that individuals within a species will vary some, too. A. trifasciata would be an excellent species in a group setting. They, and most other, highly polygamous species should work so long as each fish can establish a territory of its own.

 

[aarhud]

Thank you for the reply Mike, very nice of you to share your expertise with the every day hobbyist. I appreciate it.

I like trifasciata a great deal, but browsing around on the forum some say the females are not as dedicated parents. Have you experienced that as well? The parental care is my favorite part to watch, so I like the hyper attentive females. I'm guessing that the parenting interest of the females will be variable no matter the species, I am just curious if some tend to be more devoted than others.

One more question for you:
As a general rule, I have been told over and over that one way to tell the more polygamous species is by looking at the size of the male. Bigger males usually mean that the species is polygamous. Does this rule of thumb hold any truth?

If the above rule of thumb holds true, I assume the more slender types pair more often? I really like A. pertensis and A. gibbicips.

 

[Mike Wise]

My experience with trifasciata-groups species (A. trifasciata & A. erythrura) is that male are extremely aggressive toward female not willing to breed, be it not in spawning condition or tending fry. This is a good reason to have a minimum of 2, preferably more females/male.

Polygamy in apisto species is more typically seen in trifasciata-lineage species-groups, but not all. Most of the polygamous species do tend to be more sexually dimorphic in size and finnage than those in other lineages. Slender/elongate species do not necessarily indicate that they are polygamous. Species of the pertensis- and iniridae-groups, for example, tend to be highly monogamous.

 

[aarhud]

Thanks for the input,

In general, how many females do you try in a 48x12 footprint? I bet I got away with a little more when I was using the 72x18 footprint.

 

[Mike Wise]

1 - 10; it really depends on the way the tank is set up for territories. I usually recommend each apisto have a territory of about 1 sq. ft. with distinct boundaries that are mostly hidden from other territories.

 

[raymond82]

Mike, could you give an example of what properly set up territories look like? I usually just put a lot of coconut caves, plants and wood in the aquarium but this makes removing fish and aquarium maintenance usually a big hassle. I would love to know what a proper territory boundary looks like and how to set it up.

Thanks!

 

[Mike Wise]

This has been discussed many times on the forum. Try doing a search on the subject.