Help with pencilfish on new nano tank setup

[rogero]

Hi all,

I'm a beginner setting up a 7 gallon planted tank originally with the idea of keeping only a pair of apisto.

However, I learned that it may be better to add pencilfish as dither so that male won't be too aggressive to the female.

Thus, I introduced 6 beckfordi var red to the tank before I want to add the apisto.
However, while the pencilfish hangs out in the open and in front of the tank most of the time and is not afraid of me staring at them, they looks skittish to me.
Any accidental tap on the tank with a metal tweezer will send into a frenzy dash that looks like knocking onto the glass.

The other livestock currently in the tank is 1 red spotted nerite and 1 horned nerite.

My questions are
1) I have problem feeding them
with slow sinking micro pellets, only those that drop directly in front of them, they will eat, else, the food will go into the gravel substrate.
with flakes, it will float around till it sink as they need a long time finding the food
So, how and what should I feed them with?

2) should I introduce other tank mates too? particularly otocinclus?

3) is the tank ready to introduce the apisto with the dither fish in the current condition?
if not, until what conditions are observed do I know the tank is ready?

I'm not looking for a particular species of apisto, but rather a pair with the best behavior towards each other available.
However, if there is any species that I should look into, please feel free to suggest.

Thanks.

 

[MacZ]

The tank is simply too small. The fish are like sitting ducks and under permanent stress.

I would neither keep Nannostomus beckfordi in it, nor would I keep a pair of Apistogramma in it. And Otocinclus will rather starve, as thanks to the snails there will be no aufwuchs for them to eat.

So, how and what should I feed them with?

Besides small pellets, live or frozen: Artemia (adult or freshly hatched), Daphnia, Cyclops, white mosquito larvae.

2) should I introduce other tank mates too? particularly otocinclus?

NO!

3) is the tank ready to introduce the apisto with the dither fish in the current condition?

Sorry, but no.

if not, until what conditions are observed do I know the tank is ready?

Get a bigger tank. The stocking would be fitting to an 80 liter / 20 gallon tank. And I can only recommend getting one before even thinking about Apistogramma.

Can you post a picture so it can at least be cleared whether you have the right kind of decoration, substrate and structure?

 

[rogero]

The tank is simply too small. The fish are like sitting ducks and under permanent stress.

I would neither keep Nannostomus beckfordi in it, nor would I keep a pair of Apistogramma in it. And Otocinclus will rather starve, as thanks to the snails there will be no aufwuchs for them to eat.

Besides small pellets, live or frozen: Artemia (adult or freshly hatched), Daphnia, Cyclops, white mosquito larvae.

NO!

Sorry, but no.

Get a bigger tank. The stocking would be fitting to an 80 liter / 20 gallon tank. And I can only recommend getting one before even thinking about Apistogramma.

Can you post a picture so it can at least be cleared whether you have the right kind of decoration, substrate and structure?

Thanks for the candid feedback.

I'll keep this tank with the current livestock and mainly as a planted tank as it is now without adding.

I do have a 20 gallon planted tank with cardinal tetra and oto, but I'm not sure if I would want the apisto there.

Thus, I would wait until I'm ready with another 20 gallon.

Thanks and really appreciate your feedback.

 

[MacZ]

You're welcome.

I hate to tell people their tanks are too small or unsuitable, but ultimately it's about the fishes wellbeing and not what we as their respective owners want.