Mendezi

[KeithK]

Anybody have mendezi in a large community aquarium?

 

[anewbie]

I do not - i read they were vicious monsters and not the best option for a shared aquarium.

 

[Mike Wise]

... but not as bad as A. paucisquamis (the Chihuahuas of the apisto world). Seriously, it depends on the size of the tank, how it is decorated and if it is a single specimen or possibly a breeding group.

 

[KeithK]

... but not as bad as A. paucisquamis (the Chihuahuas of the apisto world). Seriously, it depends on the size of the tank, how it is decorated and if it is a single specimen or possibly a breeding group.

It is a 170gal system with a lot of bottom space. Deeper than it is high. Pic was taken right after cycle. Tannins are now coming along nicely.

 

[Mike Wise]

Much too open IMHO. When properly landscaped it certainly could house several A. mendezi of one sex only.

 

[KenL]

Are all mendezi that bad, or is it the odd individual?

Could you not keep a single pair in that tank?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Much too open IMHO....

Pic was taken right after cycle.

Honestly listen to Mike, he is "Wise by name and wise by nature".

I'll nail my colours to the mast and tell you that "cycled" isn't a very useful concept generally and even less useful for sensitive soft water fish. Read the links in -
<"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/setting-up-a-low-tds-aquarium.30322/#post-139818"> it links to research by scientists working on nitrification in aquariums.

Again a disclaimer that I'm not an entirely objective commentator, but have a look through - <"https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what-is-the-“duckweed-index”-all-about.73647/">.

Plants have a multitude of benefits for the aquarium, one being that they block line of sight.

Cheers Darrel

 

[anewbie]

Hi all,


Honestly listen to Mike, he is "Wise by name and wise by nature".

I'll nail my colours to the mast and tell you that "cycled" isn't a very useful concept generally and even less useful for sensitive soft water fish. Read the links in -
<"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/setting-up-a-low-tds-aquarium.30322/#post-139818"> it links to research by scientists working on nitrification in aquariums.

Again a disclaimer that I'm not an entirely objective commentator, but have a look through - <"https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what-is-the-“duckweed-index”-all-about.73647/">.

Plants have a multitude of benefits for the aquarium, one being that they block line of sight.

Cheers Darrel

Yea but they also block the view and that was a year+ so it is 10x worse

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Yea but they also block the view and that was a year+ so it is 10x worse

Ideal, wanting to see your fish is so overrated.

If I didn't like plants? I'd keep Hypancistrus sp. in tank with hundreds of caves and no light*.

*This may not be true

Cheers Darrel

 

[KeithK]

Hi all,


Honestly listen to Mike, he is "Wise by name and wise by nature".

I'll nail my colours to the mast and tell you that "cycled" isn't a very useful concept generally and even less useful for sensitive soft water fish. Read the links in -
<"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/setting-up-a-low-tds-aquarium.30322/#post-139818"> it links to research by scientists working on nitrification in aquariums.

Again a disclaimer that I'm not an entirely objective commentator, but have a look through - <"https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what-is-the-“duckweed-index”-all-about.73647/">.

Plants have a multitude of benefits for the aquarium, one being that they block line of sight.

Cheers Darrel

Thank u for being concerned about the fish. I don't buy first to kill them. Been doing this for forty years now. Know a thing or two about it. All I wanted to know was how the fish would behave in a multi species environment. Trying to create a biotope from the northern tributaries of the rio negro and through my research i have found that there isn't really a lot of plants. Most of what I have observed of these fish, they prefer leaf litter on the bottom or heavily rooted banks.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

!Thank u for being concerned about the fish. I don't buy first to kill them. Been doing this for forty years now.

I understand this. I'm not very good with fish, so I need all the help I can get.

If you have fish that require very high water quality, plant / microbe bio filtration is much more effective at this

... Trying to create a biotope from the northern tributaries of the rio negro and through my research i have found that there isn't really a lot of plants. Most of what I have observed of these fish, they prefer leaf litter on the bottom or heavily rooted banks.

That is sort of the point, the trees in the flooded forest are as much aquatic plants as any emergent plant we would have in the UK.

Where any light reaches the water's surface? Plants will grow -
<"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/ro-water-is-remineralizer-required.25494/#post-126014">.

Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) is biotope appropriate.

Cheers Darrel

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) is biotope appropriate.

@KeithK PC, rather than a phone. I can see your floatng plant and I'd let your Salvinia cover 3/4 of the water's surface.

It doesn't really matter what your floating plant is, I like Pistia stratiotes and Limnobium laevigatum mainly for their roots.

I have all three, but I use Amazon Frogbit for the <"Duckweed Index">. In terms of more structural leaf litter have a look at <"Ripe for Picking: a Guide to Collecting your own Bountiful Botanicals">.

If you are in the UK Magnolia grandiflora (Evergreen Magnolia) leaves are really good.

cheers Darrel

 

[Mike Wise]

Are all mendezi that bad, or is it the odd individual?

Could you not keep a single pair in that tank?

These fish are not bad, but they are territorial, especially when breeding. Do apisto breed in the wild with other species around? Of course they do - and many of these species are fry predators. The reason for successful breeding in the wild is due to water volume. Unless you have an aquarium the size of a swimming pool then you cannot recreate a true natural habitat. As people know here on the forum my mantra is 'a community tank is not a breeding tank'. If you want to breed A. mendezi then set up a tank specifically for breeding. In a tank of your size you could have multiple breeding pairs if the tank is properly laid out and -suitable (mostly non-schooling surface-dwelling) species are used for community members. This leaves out most of the popular tetras from the Rio Negro. In the wild the bottom of streams where most apisto live are covered by at least a 6"/15cm thick layer of leaf litter (been there and stepped in it). This is where apistos hide and breed. If you are willing to set up such a tank it will work. With anything less you will find stress, caused by female apistos aggressively protecting their fry and fry predators stressing out female apistos trying to defend their fry from multitudes of fry predators. Stress kills.

 

[KeithK]

Have no desire to breed fish, been there done that. Just looking for something I can sit and stare at for hours.