wespastor
New Member
- Messages
- 32
- Location
- Cleveland, OH
Greetings:
I have been keeping planted tank for more than 20 years ... fishes they were/are just ferts
I am in sort of a quandary.
I wanted to expand on my fish keeping to the New World Cichlids. During my general search (I just looked at a bunch of pictures) of these fishes and saw two that I thought I might like to keep.
(Microgeophagus altispinosus) aka Bolivian Ram, Ruby Crown Cichlid or Apistogramma agassizi aka Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid, Biotodoma agassizi, Geophagus agassizi, Mesops agassizi
With the former Bolivian Ram Finding local sources became next to impossible when I found a source the price per fish became somewhat cost prohibitive at $10 ea and wanting to keep six of them I went for the latter Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid finding the cost per fish near half.
Here’s the rub.
The apisto’s in my LFSs are kept in the same tank without regard to species separation. (Selling something under the wrong name brings up a new problem. And I do realize that it happens occasionally by accident in some well meaning LFS but if it can be helped, it shouldn't be done. And this topic is a whole other discussion.)
Because I am admittedly a novice to keeping these fish I cannot at a glance tell the difference among them notwithstanding their coloring seems spectacular. I’m also looking to obtain juveniles so that I may be able to enjoy them for a longer period of time. It’s my understanding that these fishes lifespan is only about 2–3 years. Further, as juveniles and having 6 or so of them in the same tank I will more likely be able to get a pair (though I understand that a harem is more the norm.)
So in a nut shell, what’s a novice to do? There is only so much that can be learned from a book (forums). Buying online is dreadfully cost prohibitive because of shipping cost and I don’t even want to talk about the heat.
Thanks for your understanding and help.
Best wishes,
Wes
I have been keeping planted tank for more than 20 years ... fishes they were/are just ferts
I am in sort of a quandary.
I wanted to expand on my fish keeping to the New World Cichlids. During my general search (I just looked at a bunch of pictures) of these fishes and saw two that I thought I might like to keep.
(Microgeophagus altispinosus) aka Bolivian Ram, Ruby Crown Cichlid or Apistogramma agassizi aka Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid, Biotodoma agassizi, Geophagus agassizi, Mesops agassizi
With the former Bolivian Ram Finding local sources became next to impossible when I found a source the price per fish became somewhat cost prohibitive at $10 ea and wanting to keep six of them I went for the latter Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid finding the cost per fish near half.
Here’s the rub.
The apisto’s in my LFSs are kept in the same tank without regard to species separation. (Selling something under the wrong name brings up a new problem. And I do realize that it happens occasionally by accident in some well meaning LFS but if it can be helped, it shouldn't be done. And this topic is a whole other discussion.)
Because I am admittedly a novice to keeping these fish I cannot at a glance tell the difference among them notwithstanding their coloring seems spectacular. I’m also looking to obtain juveniles so that I may be able to enjoy them for a longer period of time. It’s my understanding that these fishes lifespan is only about 2–3 years. Further, as juveniles and having 6 or so of them in the same tank I will more likely be able to get a pair (though I understand that a harem is more the norm.)
So in a nut shell, what’s a novice to do? There is only so much that can be learned from a book (forums). Buying online is dreadfully cost prohibitive because of shipping cost and I don’t even want to talk about the heat.
Thanks for your understanding and help.
Best wishes,
Wes