New Apisto Owner - Stocking Advice Please

[kniesh]

Hi everyone,

I've recently fell in love with Apisto's, and decided to dedicate my 48"x24"x24" tank to them. It's 100 gallons (probably more like 120 with the sump) with a pretty large footprint. I have reasonably hard water, very close to 8, but I've just ordered Almond Leaves and Alder Cones, which I can house in the Sump, and the tank itself.

I already have quite a few Ap's in there seemingly living in harmony, but wanted some opinions on how this might end? I have back up tanks ready to go if there's issues. It's in a fish house so plenty of room to move about.

Currently I have ;

2 Male A. cacatuoides - I will be adding 2 Females
1 Pair A. Agassizi
1 Female A. Macmasteri - I will look to add a male
2 Male Taenicara candidi ( i know these aren't Aps but similar so worth mentioning)
2 Pairs Regani Lineage - I am waiting on a positive i.d on these
1 Pair Nanochromis transvestitus

This means there'll be about 6 pairs of differing species in there which I know sounds a lot. The tank has lots of wood in, as you can see below, with plenty of plants, and plenty of territory's an caves. There's also lots of Cory's, Rainbows, and Whiptails in there. I know the Rainbow's make the raising Fry next to impossible, but it's more the behaviors I'm interested in. Does this sound like a recipe for disaster with this many? I could always move a few pairs out id needed

 

[Bart Hazes]

In a 90 gallon I have kept three pairs, 2 A. rubrolineatus and 1 macmasteri, with a 15 rummynose one Bujurquina sp. and 3 male Dicrossus maculatus. All pairs mated and the rubrolineatus managed to raise some fry. But all three pairs are more docile than my typical apisto. One A. norberti pair took over the entire 50 gallon (48x24x10) tank and an A. sp. Abacaxis killed of a very healthy young baenschi male overnight in another 50 gallon tank. And those tanks have much more plant and driftwood for cover. I would say your tank is very sparsely decorated and much of it doesn't really breaks lines of sight. I would plant some big sword plants, dense bunches of stem plants and some more solid and taller pieces of driftwood. Since you have backup tanks you could add a pair and see how it goes. Problem is that the calculation changes if one or more pairs start breeding.

 

[kniesh]

Thanks for the reply, I have a few 15 gallon tanks sitting empty at the moment, I've just ordered a load of Almond leaves so I will set those up in the coming days and move a few pairs out. At the moment there's only 3 pairs in there anyway, the others are individuals for now

 

[Bart Hazes]

Don't forget to pick some oak leaves while it's still autumn. Almond leaves are nice for tannins and supposedly 'magical qualities' but to get a nice leaf litter on a tank the size as yours I'd use mostly oak leaves with some almond leaves mixed in.

 

[kniesh]

Will do thanks, got a massive Oak tree in the garden actually, an always intended to use them, just never get round to it.

 

[ButtNekkid]

Don't forget to pick some oak leaves while it's still autumn. Almond leaves are nice for tannins and supposedly 'magical qualities' but to get a nice leaf litter on a tank the size as yours I'd use mostly oak leaves with some almond leaves mixed in.

I use Magnolia leaves for some natural "caves" as they keep their shape.

 

[kniesh]

These re what I have loads of in the garden, it's not Oak, does anyone know what these are an if they are usable? Turns out it's London Plane Platanus x acerifolia, but not sure on the effect on the water?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

These re what I have loads of in the garden, it's not Oak, does anyone know what these are an if they are usable? Turns out it's London Plane Platanus x acerifolia, but not sure on the effect on the water?

Open to question, there is this old thread <"My Apisto..."> (and linked threads).

I haven't tried them again recently (I still use Loquat and Magnolia grandiflora).

cheers Darrel

 

[kniesh]

Thanks DW, think I'll try them, this is a very secluded place, so very unlikely to be any pollution. Not gonna use them for the PH drop, I'll buy a few Almond leaves for that an mix n match. Too easy to turn down these, they're literally all over my garden