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  1. Simon Morgan

    Male apistogramma Cacatuoides hiding? (Fry in tank since April) first time..

    I would cycle a tank and grow them out. People like to buy apistos they can sex. Not sure about the male though, bullied?
  2. Simon Morgan

    water parameters

    Looks like you have perfect water for Apistos. I'd get a TDS meter too, as they are cheap and accurate.
  3. Simon Morgan

    New here-just got an Apisto-what is he?

    Black with white spots is probably juvenile Tropheus duboisi.
  4. Simon Morgan

    New here-just got an Apisto-what is he?

    It is almost definitely Laetacara curviceps, you'll know for sure when he grows out a bit.
  5. Simon Morgan

    ph

    Yes I would think so.
  6. Simon Morgan

    ph

    Curviceps are more peaceful than Apistos IME but cacatuoides would be easier to breed.
  7. Simon Morgan

    ph

    Cacatuoides will be fine with your Discus.
  8. Simon Morgan

    ph

    Apistos are just as aggressive as Bolivian rams or Blue acaras, pound-for-pound probably more so. There isn't much of a co-relation between size and aggression in cichlids. If anything, it's inversely proportional, look at Shell-dwellers for example. Severums and Uarus are very good tank-mates...
  9. Simon Morgan

    New Tank HELP Cockatoo Or Agassizii With API Softener Pillow??

    I have no idea what is in the API pillow but the phrase "Softener" implies exchanging Calcium for Sodium. To reduce TDS you need "mixed-bed" resin which exchanges Calcium for hydrogen and carbonates for hydroxide in equal amounts therefore forming water. You can recharge them but you have to...
  10. Simon Morgan

    ph

    It probably is fairly hard, worth testing GH and KH, or checking the Water company website. Do you get a lot of scaling in your kettle or shower head for example? A. cacatuoides is probably the best Apisto for hardwater, I can't think of another I would recommend. Bolivian rams and Blue acaras...
  11. Simon Morgan

    Ember Tetras (Hyphessobrycon amandae) as dithers?

    I like them, didn't observe any fry hunting behaviour but I tend to remove dithers at the first sign of (apisto) eggs.
  12. Simon Morgan

    What TDS/EC meter do you use?

    Why wait? They are £8-£20 on ebay in the UK. I have an HM Digital TDS-3. Which includes a thermometer.
  13. Simon Morgan

    TDS in hard water

    Gerald is correct of course, I wasn't entirely explicit. If all the TDS in your water was made up of sodium chloride how would you know if you only used a TDS meter? It would not be suitable. In practice, the TDS in tapwater mostly comes from Calcium carbonate, so as long as you establish that...
  14. Simon Morgan

    ph

    pH isn't as important as conventionally thought, especially in softwater. GH is a measure of Calcium (and magnesium and other stuff) which is a rough measure of how much "stuff" is in the water. TDS is a measure of everything in the water, so Sodium, Calcium etc etc. What is important to the...
  15. Simon Morgan

    ph

    Yes and they probably will breed but you need to know more than the pH. Do you know the TDS (Total dissolved solids) or GH (general hardness)?
  16. Simon Morgan

    TDS in hard water

    GH is only part of the story so it's good to know TDS if you have a meter. I honestly don't test for GH any more because using a TDS meter is quicker and cheaper. pH and KH are still important IMO for Hardwater species, and especially for keeping a healthy filtration system. IME it's easier for...
  17. Simon Morgan

    Multiple apistos in a 65 gallon

    I'm assuming that your water is relatively soft and the tank is or will be fishlessly cycled, otherwise I might advise differently.
  18. Simon Morgan

    Multiple apistos in a 65 gallon

    Personal taste will influence your choice but I think it's hard to beat a large shoal of Lemon tetras, you could combine them with Splashing Tetras or Hatchetfish. Other choices include Bleeding heart, Diamond, Red-Eye and Cardinal tetras. One or two big shoals will look better than a mish-mash...
  19. Simon Morgan

    Multiple apistos in a 65 gallon

    In 65g, I'd personally be thinking of something larger. Festivums or Geophagus for example, no reason why you couldn't mix Apistos in with them. You could also consider Biotodoma, Biotoecus, Cleithracara, Crenicara, Dicrossus, Guianacara, Ivanacara, Krobia, and Taeniacara...and the Laetacara and...
  20. Simon Morgan

    Multiple apistos in a 65 gallon

    Yeah, it will probably work.
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