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Fundulopanchax gardneri gardneri (Lyretail Killie) w/ Apisto?

RookieFishGuy90

New Member
Messages
3
Guys,

New to the forum here. Was looking up some stuff, and stumbled upon this. I know someone has asked about killies as a tank mate in the past, but not this species....

I currently have an apisto nijsenni (male) in a 29 gallon planted aquarium with 11 cherry barbs and panda garra. I have had them about a year (this is my first aquarium aside from a little betta tank).

One of my wonderful LFS has an awesome selection of Lyretail Killifish and I would love to get a pair of the steel blue for my tank (I am very drawn to the blue color fish like in my apisto).

I wanted to check with the more experienced people in this awesome forum for advise before moving on (despite the fact that I am excited about the killies and want to pull the trigger now haha). I really love my apisto, and find myself fascinated by them every time I walk into an LFS. If it were up to me I'd have so many tanks with all the different species. But, I want to keep mine happy and healthy as my showcase fish. What are your thoughts on keeping a pair of lyretails with my apisto?

Thanks!

-RFG90
 

gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
I think they'd do okay and pretty much ignore each other. Obviously you're not trying to breed Apistos, with barbs and Garra in the tank. Having said that, I once kept a lone male gardneri with a lone male Lamprologus speciosus and they fought much of the time; it seemed to be their form of entertainment. I'd also suggest getting multiple female gardneri; a single female with a male will have a rough, probably short life.
 

gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
I think they'd do okay and pretty much ignore each other. Obviously you're not trying to breed Apistos, with barbs and Garra in the tank. Having said that, I once kept a lone male gardneri with a lone male Lamprologus speciosus and they fought much of the time; it seemed to be their form of entertainment. I'd also suggest getting multiple female gardneri; a single female with a male will have a rough, probably short life.
 

RookieFishGuy90

New Member
Messages
3
Thanks for the suggestion! Not trying to breed the apisto, or any fish as of now. Don't have the setup yet for any of that. Wife probably wouldn't have it haha. I'll look into the possibility of getting a male with 2 females. Would that curb the aggression?
 

MickeM

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
441
Location
STOCKHOLM , SWEDEN
Hi..

I`ve never kept them with Apistos, but a friend of mine have mixed experiences with Fundulopanchax sp. together with tetras, barbs and other species..
They tend to bite the fintips of these..!!....

I would recommend some kind of Epiplatys sp. instead of the Fundulop.gardneri..
Pseudoepiplatys annulatus or Epiplatys dageti with small Apistos in small tanks are often a great match..!!
..or larger Epiplatys species in larger tanks, with larger Apistos..( baenschi, nijsseni, panduro..)

Epiplatys is more of a surface-living fish(spawning in floating plants) while Fundulopanchax tend to be all over the tank.., fighting /messing around with anyone entering their territory..!! :)

If you can find small species of Aplocheilus.., these might also work..!!?? ( Apl. parvus / blockii )

Cheers,
Micke
 

Mbkemp

Member
Messages
45
I’ve seen gardneri saw serape tetras into pieces. My experience is a fish with red in it will be attacked
 

Mbkemp

Member
Messages
45
I’ve seen gardneri saw serape tetras into pieces. My experience is a fish with red in it will be attacked
 

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