What cichlids ?

[Dan_McTudor]

Hi all.... I have a 60 liters/16 gallons tank with only three young Parotocinclus jumbo. What small cichlids would you reccomand me ?! I live in Helsinki, Finland, and the water parameters in my tank are: pH 7,5, kH 2, gH 3, NO3 10 mg/l, NO2 <0,1 mg/l, CO2 1,8 ppm. Thank you in advance. And thanks for those who keep alive such an interesting Forum !

 

[Mike Wise]

Since no one else has commented, I will give you my opinion. Your aquarium is suitable for a pair or trio of most dwarf cichlids + a few small surface dwelling fish (pencilfish, hatchets, killies). It might be too small for some of the more aggressive species, however. Your pH is a bit high for many species, but since you have soft water, you should be able to acidify it quite easily using peat in a filter or even some commercial blackwater formulas that are available. I suspect that your tank would naturally drop to the slightly acid range anyway. I suggest that you look at the species you find interesting & determine their water chemistry requirements before you purchase them. Ideal first time candidates are many, but I suggest A. cacatuoides, A. borellii, & A. sp. Rotpunkt.

 

[Dan_McTudor]

TY very much Mike.... Now I face another problem - it's not easy to get Apistogramma in Finland, except for A. ramirezi (imported from Sweden). But I'll see what I can do. Thanks again.
P.S. If a trio, that would be 2 F and 1 M I presume ?

 

[uromastyx]

Hi all
I am new here.
I'd like to buy some kind of Apisto, but I already have 5 Corydoras sterbai and a few Gymnocorymbus ternetzi. My question is what sort of Apisto should I choose next to these fish. I am a beginner so I do not mind if the pair of Apisto wear a middle soft water well, and I also would like they not to annoy the others. I plan for them a 100 l (~27 g) tank.

Thank You in advance

Benedek

 

[Griz]

Welcome to the forum Benedek !

First, what is you water like? pH, GH, KH?

Do you plan to breed Apistos or just keep then in a community? You can certainly keep Apistogramma but any fry/eggs will be eaten. Your tank is a good size and the fish you have should be fine with them. The corys may get chased around a bit but no harm should come to therm.

Mike suggested these as good beginner species: A. cacatuoides, A. borelli & A. sp. Rotpunkt.

 

[uromastyx]

First, what is you water like? pH, GH, KH?

Do you plan to breed Apistos or just keep then in a community? You can certainly keep Apistogramma but any fry/eggs will be eaten. Your tank is a good size and the fish you have should be fine with them. The corys may get chased around a bit but no harm should come to therm.

Water's parameters are open questions, because there will be a new aquarium. (Now I keep the young Corys and Tetras in a smaller tank with hard enough water.)
But are there any difference in the requirements of hardness among the different Apisto species?

 

[Mike Wise]

Most definitely! Apistos come from many different rivers with different water values. Fish from truly blackwater habitats - like A. elizabethae & A. sp. Miuá - do not survive long in water that is not very soft and pH <6. Others - like A. cacatuoides, A. borellii & A. trifasciata, which come from whitewater habitats, will easily live & breed in hard, slightly alkaline water (pH < 7.5). It is best to know the water values needed for the fish you want to keep.

 

[uromastyx]

A. cacatuoides, A. borellii & A. trifasciata, which come from whitewater habitats, will easily live & breed in hard, slightly alkaline water (pH < 7.5). It is best to know the water values needed for the fish you want to keep.

I tend to choose borelli. What hardness level is needful for them?

 

[Mike Wise]

They will live in most water conditions, but reproduce best at hardness values below 10ºdH. Let us know your tap water values & we can recommend some other fish, too.

 

[Dan_McTudor]

Since no one else has commented, I will give you my opinion. Your aquarium is suitable for a pair or trio of most dwarf cichlids + a few small surface dwelling fish (pencilfish, hatchets, killies). It might be too small for some of the more aggressive species, however. Your pH is a bit high for many species, but since you have soft water, you should be able to acidify it quite easily using peat in a filter or even some commercial blackwater formulas that are available. I suspect that your tank would naturally drop to the slightly acid range anyway. I suggest that you look at the species you find interesting & determine their water chemistry requirements before you purchase them. Ideal first time candidates are many, but I suggest A. cacatuoides, A. borellii, & A. sp. Rotpunkt.

Finally, my tank has the 3 P. jumbo, 12 Lemon tetra and a pair of P. ramirezi... Fair enough for a small tank.

 

[uromastyx]

They will live in most water conditions, but reproduce best at hardness values below 10ºdH. Let us know your tap water values & we can recommend some other fish, too.

We have a medium hard tap water in my district. It's about 15-16ºdH, but I mix it with deionised water. So I use now a 10-11ºdH water.