Need Help

[Nick]

I have an established 10 gallon planted tank and I have never kept and apisto or dwarf cichlid before. I was wondering if apistogramma nijsseni would be a good beginner apisto and what kind of tank setup/water conditoins would be best for apist. nijsseni and should their be any other fish in the tank with them. Another problem I have is that if the nijsseni wouldnt work in my tank or if there not a good beginner apisto only 1 of my lfs sells apistos and they only have a limited variety of fish to choose from which would be apistogramma agassizi and opal. Thanks for any help/suggestions!

-Nick

 

[aspen]

a trio (M/F/F) of borellii opal would be a very good beginner choice for you in that tank. they are a beautiful fish when they grow out, with red speckling on the male's face, a very nice blue sheen down their bodies and are one of the less agressive dwarfs. they will also likely breed and raise their young in that tank. i would keep a couple of algae eaters, (like a dwarf bushy nose pleco, and a black molly for hair algae) and 4 - 6 small tetras.

as a small tank display, you can't do any better in apistos, imo.

rick

 

[Nick]

Would any of the fish I mentioned abve work in my 10 gallon tank because I cant find any apist. borelli at any of my lfs. Thanks for your help!

-Nick

 

[aspen]

you mentioned 'opal'. the only opal i know of is the borellii opal.

rick

 

[Nick]

I havent been to my lfs in a while now but im not sure if the opal apistogramm borelli or not. If they are opal apist. borelli what would be the best water conditions for keeping/breeding them and what kind of tank setup do they need. Also you said keeping a trio would be good but would a pair work to and does it matter what kinds of tetras are dept with the apistos as long as they are small?

-Nick

 

[aspen]

nick, i would use neons, glowlights or cardinals. however if you want them to breed for you, then you could for-go the tetras altogether (fry eaters). do a search here for borelli, borellii and opal. you will get tons of info.

rick

 

[Neil]

Nick,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Nijsseni is probably not the best choice for a 10g. Agassizii is a little tougher to deal with in a breeding sense, requiring softer, more acidic water and possibly requiring a larger space if its' aggression is not managed properly. However, borellii is a good choice for a 10g.

A. sp. "Opal" is a color-form of borellii. It is a mostly blue fish with red spotting in the face/cheek. Much of the yellow is not present in this variety. But it is a borellii none-the-less and subject to all the same conditions and requirements. That would be good food, clean water, neutral(if possible) water parms and most importantly and male and a female, if breeding is in the future. Females are smaller and similar to all other borellii. Males will have the spotting in the face, longer filaments on the back portion of the dorsal and ventral and will be more high-bodied looking and larger.

If your LFS has these, I would say that is a good choice for you.

Neil

 

[Nick]

Apistogramma Borelli

If the apistos breed should I remove the fry from the breeding tank or should I keep the fry with the parents? Thanks for the suggestions!

-Nick

 

[farm41]

leave them alone is best

 

[mm12463]

The bonus of leaving them with the parents is watching the skills of mom and maybe dad raising the fry. It's really an interesting process. The first time I had an apisto spawn (for that matter any fish) I thought mom was eating a fry that swam away. Nope she spit him out back into the mass of fry..sort of like 'I told you to stay there!'

Very exciting and good luck.

 

[Nick]

Apistogramma Borelli

Could a pair of apistogramma borellii live happily in an established 26 gallon aquarium with 3 red eye tetras, 2 surpae tetras, 2 lemon tetras, 2 harleguin rasboras, and soon to be 5-6 cardinal tetras? Is there any chance of the borelli's killing my tetras? Thanks for any suggestions!

-Nick

 

[farm41]

Apistogramma Borelli

Is there any chance of the borelli's killing my tetras?

Yes, but not much.

 

[Nick]

Apistogramma Borelli

If my tank didnt have enough hiding spots or plants could that make them more aggressive even when they are not breeding and does it matter if the plants are arrtificial or real.

-Nick

 

[Neil]

Nick,

If my tank didnt have enough hiding spots or plants could that make them more aggressive even when they are not breeding

It probably won't make them more aggressive with fewer hiding spots, but it will probaly make the aggression seem worse because there isn't as many options for escape when aggression does occur. That won't be much of an issue with borellii. As a matter of fact, less cover may make them more timid. Cichlids usually feel better and more outgoing when they have plenty of cover. It is their insurance policy against trouble out in the open.

does it matter if the plants are arrtificial or real

Not really to the fish. It is more significant for water chemistry, individual likes, and possibly a source for little critters to support very small fry.

Neil

 

[Nick]

Apistogramma Borelli

If the borelli's get aggressive during spawning would removing the fry help ease the aggression from breeding parents?

-Nick

 

[kribs]

Yes.

 

[aspen]

you are putting the cart before the horse. some parents are fine. many apisto males will watch at a safe distance, others fight for control of the spawn. some females will attack the males relentlessly when they are minding eggs or fry no matter how big the tank is. watch and see.

rick

 

[Neil]

Nick,

That won't be much of an issue with borellii.

I agree with aspen. When I said talked about aggression, I was relaying general terms. Specifically, borellii is one of the least likely to give you problems, before and after spawning. If you want to see the full range of Apistogramma behaviors, you have to work with alot of different fish in alot of situations. But, keeping your pair and fry family in tact after spawning, will allow you to see quite an interesting range of behaviors without too many of the problems that many other species would give you.

Neil