Apistogramma stocking options

[newworldan06]

Hey i am definately going to get a trio of apistos. My tank is a 30gal S.A. tank that will be well planted with some drift wood and rock. The following were some options i was thinking of.

1.)2m/4-5f (obviously a more non aggressive type not sure which one yet)

or

2.)A pair of angels with the trio

or

3.)10-12 members of a schooling group

Any info would be greatly appreciated. And any other suggestions of ideas would help. And if i could add any more fish to any of those 3 suggestions w/o making it to crowded. Also i am just starting to cycle my tank so i have awhile before i have to make my descision. One more thing could some people give me ideas on some species I thinkin about cacatoides I want some that are bright not aggressive and 6.5-7 ph


Thanks o ton

 

[Neil]

newworldan06,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

I think that whether you decide to put angels in there or not, you should probably stick with a trio. The footprint (groundspace) of a 30g. is not really large enough to support territory divisions of more than a coule of females. Angels may be OK because they will not be occupying the same water area as the Dwarf Cichlids.

There are plenty of relatively non-aggressive, colorful choices that would work in a 30g. I think that you need to choose in regards to what you like and then post to see if other can give you their feedback on how appropriate they may be. But cacatuoides certainly does come to mind as far as a good starting point.

Good luck,
Neil

 

[newworldan06]

my tank is 36long and 12 wide are u sure that there is not enough ground to house the 2m/4-5f?

 

[Neil]

Sure, you can put 2 males in with 4 or 5 females, but my bet is that it won't be long before you are pulling 1 male out ad a female or 2. Each female will probably require about a square foot of space and will go beyond that when they actually are herding their babies around. 1 male will likely dominate the entire tank and a second male will be behind the filter or up in the corner of the tank. It is not that it can't work, it is just far more likely that a trio would work better with less problems. And even then, you may have a female that isn't a happy camper. Depends alot on the individual fish as much as the particular species. You may end up with one male and one female that don't want anyone else anywhere near their territory.

Neil

 

[newworldan06]

ok thanks ya idecided to get a pair of angels to go with a trio they swim so high up they wont bother the trio and they get along and then hopefully breed. I just hope that the apistos wont eat angel fry and angels wont eat apisto fry. Has anyone experienced that combination and if u have do they eat eachothers fry?