Setting an Apistos tank - Needs help!

[charlon_ellul]

Correct me where I'm wrong since this is my first thread.

I had just acquired a 80 ltrs tank which I intend to set up, heavily planted for Apistos and some Ramirezi, with some dither fish such as neons.

I am currently more attracted to Apistogramma cacatuoides, but is this suitable for my tank?

And what would be your stocking levels in such a tank regarding the apistos and the rams, taking into cosideration that they can be teritorial when breeding?

Would neon tetras be too small to end up as prey or they can host the same tank without problems?

Thanks for your support, any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[blueblue]

Correct me where I'm wrong since this is my first thread.

I had just acquired a 80 ltrs tank which I intend to set up, heavily planted for Apistos and some Ramirezi, with some dither fish such as neons.

I am currently more attracted to Apistogramma cacatuoides, but is this suitable for my tank?

And what would be your stocking levels in such a tank regarding the apistos and the rams, taking into cosideration that they can be teritorial when breeding?

Would neon tetras be too small to end up as prey or they can host the same tank without problems?

Thanks for your support, any help is greatly appreciated!

A. caca should be okay in your planted tank.
I think keep one pair of caca and one pair of ram will be a good idea.

Tetra neon lives well with apistos and you could house a school of 10 pieces without problem.

 

[charlon_ellul]

Rams form pairs and Apistogramma form harems right?

Keeping a trio of 1m and 2f A. caca with the pair of rams would be too much?
And what bottom feeders do you suggest?

Thanks.

 

[blueblue]

Rams form pairs and Apistogramma form harems right?

Keeping a trio of 1m and 2f A. caca with the pair of rams would be too much?
And what bottom feeders do you suggest?

Thanks.

Why do you want to keep a trio? With trio, you may even have more territorial problem, i think. Anyhow, a trio of caca + 1 pair of ram is not too much for your 80 liters tank.

For bottom feeders, odo should be good...

 

[charlon_ellul]

Why do you want to keep a trio? With trio, you may even have more territorial problem, i think. Anyhow, a trio of caca + 1 pair of ram is not too much for your 80 liters tank.

For bottom feeders, odo should be good...

I read on the net that with apistogramma sp. having a trio can sometimes lead to having 2 females spawning at the same time, which would be nice since breeeding them will be one of my objectives.

With reference to odo, I didn't know what they are, and searching on the net gave me the wrong sp. I guess. Can you pls give me the full or scientific name?

Thanks.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Blueblue meant Oto, as in Otocinclus. It's a genus of South American dwarf suckermouth catfish. A great little algae eater.

Jeff

 

[Mike Wise]

breeeding them [A. cacatuoides] will be one of my objectives

Welcome to the forum, Charlon. You will find more good information here than anywhere else on the internet.

An 80 L aquarium is an excellent size for breeding most Apistogramma or keeping them in a community - but not both. Think about it. How often do you see fry survive in a community tank? You may get 1 or 2, but not many more. In your proposed tank, the Neon Tetras will eat most of the fry. While the female A. cacatuoides drives away one attacker, the other Neons will start eating the fry. The male will not assist in fry protection except indirectly. He will protect his territory, which includes the females' territories - but only from other cichlids and bottom dwellers like the Rams. If you will be happy with just a few fry surviving, then the community tank will be very attractive and busy. If you want more fry, then keep the A. cacatuoides as the only bottom dwellers. Instead of Neon Tetras, use top dwelling species like pencilfishes (Nannostomus, Pyrrhulina, & Copella sp.) or smaller hatchetfishes (Carnegiella sp.), which do not actively prey upon bottom dwelling fry. It is your decision. Good luck with your aquarium whichever way you decide.

 

[charlon_ellul]

Thanks for the warm welcome, really informative forum.

I would rather keep the apistogramma in a community than in a species tank. The centerpiece would be the apistogramma and the rams, the neons are just dither fish so changing them with some pencilfish would not bother me at all.

Will I have more fry surviving if I replace the neons with the pencilfish and keeping the rams and some otos?

What other fish (like the pencilfish) do you suggest as dither fish with the a. caca?

 

[ed seeley]

I've got a two foot tank with pencilfish and I've put some Epiplatys killifish in too as fish that mainly swim at the surface. The female is happily raising a brood of fry with those tank-mates. I'd definitely recommend a small group of non-annual killifish.

 

[charlon_ellul]

What sp of killifish do you recommend ed?

 

[ed seeley]

The Epiplatys are great as they stay near the top and don't seem to interact with the Apistogrammas at all. Other than them any of the Aphyosemions, especially those in the Chromaphyosemion group, should work well.

I've got Fundulopanchax gardneri and I'm not sure whether they'd be too boisterous or not, I'll have to try them soon.

I've also got some Lampeyes coming soon that shoal more like tetras and they will be great with Apistogrammas I'm sure.

The only ones I'd avoid at first were anything too big and the annual species like Nothobranchius, Astrolebias etc.

Have a look at this site, http://www.killifish.f9.co.uk/Killifish/Killifish Website/Genera_Index.htm

This is the Epiplatys I have. http://www.killifish.f9.co.uk/Killifish/Killifish Website/Ref_Library/Epiplatys/E.dageti.htm Not the most gaudy, but the black bars are very pronounced on my strain.

Here are another few decent choices, but browse through the whole list if you have time!
http://www.killifish.f9.co.uk/Killifish/Killifish Website/Ref_Library/Aphyosemion/A.bivittatum.htm
http://www.killifish.f9.co.uk/Killifish/Killifish Website/Ref_Library/Aphyosemion/A.australe.htm

 

[beleg]

Ed please let us know about your experiences with gardneri. I kept those fish and i loved them. Would be awesome to have them as safe ditherfish

 

[ed seeley]

Ed please let us know about your experiences with gardneri. I kept those fish and i loved them. Would be awesome to have them as safe ditherfish

Will do Beleg. I'm away this weekend, but next weekend may well try and move the killis over as the 11 Fp.gardneri 'Nsukka Gold' I have are now getting too big for the Nano tank they've grown up in!