Apistogramma Tank Mates

[fusiongt]

I had a question regarding what kind of fish do well with Apistogrammas? I don't have a specific Apisto decided on yet, but I would like to get a male/female for my 25gallon cube.

I also have 8 Espei Rasoboras that I would like to move over to the new tank. Would they get along okay with Apistos? If the apistos lay eggs, I figure they'll be a bit more defensive if the Espeis got nearby but a little chasing is okay as long as they don't kill them.


Also, would it be possible to house 2 different apisot couples in the tank (so 4 of them total, 2 male, 2 female). I think the tank would be a lot more interesting if there were 2 different kinds and it would make choosing the breeds easier since I can choose my 2 favorites.

All in all, I would love to have my 8 espei rasboras, 3 otocinlus, and either 2 or 4 Apisotgrammas. Would it work on a 25 gallon tank like this:



(I have moved the driftwood a bit more to accommodate more caves since I took the picture)

[ADJAquariums]

I think most if not all apistos would be ok with espies and ottos, as for 4 apistos, you should really do just 2 for a 25.

[Snowflake311]

2 apisto with the espei rasboras would be fine.

I would not mix another different pair in the tank you don't have enough room for the wars that could break out. Depending on the type you get you could get 2 females and one male. These are peaceful fish unless spawning the males can be very nasty to each other. Cichlids of all sizes are crazy in their own way.

[agimlin]

we need a better pic of the tank. from the angle i looks amazing

[Raul-7]

Don't house 2 different pairs in the same for a couple of reasons:
A) The males will fight, especially when they breed.
B) It is very difficult to differentiate between the females of different species especially within the same group.

Get either all males (ie. you can house 2 males from different species just fine) or get a harem of 3 females to 1 male. In fact having a harem is more interesting than a single pair and it allows a higher chance of breeding success. Most Apistogramma (ie. stay away from the nijsseni group) are harem spawners so have your pick.

[fusiongt]

Okay that's what I thought, I'll just get one pair or 1 male 2 females (lucky guy!).

Anyone have opinions on Apistogramma Diplotaenia or apistogramma elizabethae

My LFS has both of them (though just males I'll have to ask them to get a female) and they look amazing. I just bought a few Apisto books that I'll be reading when it comes as I've found there's not as much on them online as I'd hope.

[Raul-7]

Get 3 females. The problem with having only 2 females is that as soon as the male pairs with one of the females, the second female will become their target.

A. diplotaenia and A. elizabethae both need really soft water. RO is preferable. I've had A. elizabethae before; kept them in RO water with very low TDS/dKH. My problem was while the male was interested in breeding; the female never gave in. That's why it's recommended to have more than 1 female, as buying a "pair" is does not always work.

Here's a picture of him in flaring mode:


BTW, this is A. elizabethae 'Super Red' ; I believe it was imported from Glaser in Germany.

[fusiongt]

Thanks for the info.

Ah beautiful Elizabethae you have. I didn't know that about the really low PH water. I'm getting a few apistogramma books that'll hopefully help me with the water parameters needed. When you say low PH, do you know the number? Mine's around 6.4 right now with regular tap water (but ada amazonia and driftwood lowering it)

I'm also going to have to find more info on Diplotaenia as I read a few places they like sand which I have a lot of in this particular tank so that would work out even better (accidentally made them a good home hopefully!)