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My practice with any tetra is that when I see fewer fry it is time to move them to a larger tank. I also use sponge filters which provide infusoria for the fry. That and dense clumps of plants (usually floating types or Java Moss) provide a source of live food.
anewbie's answer is not exactly accurate. Pair forming species can be very choosy with whom they form a breeding pair. They do not form mated pairs. As such it might take several attempt with several potential partners before a breeding pair forms. Unaccepted fish are often aggressively forced...
I have to agree with anewbie on this. It seems overstocked to me. The bottom third of the tank seems especially overpopulated. I have similar tap water values to yours. Here in Denver they add a buffer to the water to increase the pH to about 8 in order to prevent excessive pipeline erosion from...
You asked for a suitable pair of apistos for a 20H aquarium and then mentioned rare. None of the pictured species truly combine those requirements for an aquarist not experienced with apistos and breeding. I would suggest starting with A. borellii (Opal), a small adaptable species first. There...
You need to read: Lamboj, Anton et al. 2014. Revision of the Pelvicachromis taeniatus-group (Perciformes), with revalidation of the taxon Pelvicachromis kribensis (Boulenger, 1911) and description of a new species. Cybium 38(3): 205-222. PDF file at...
Common Kribs (Pv. pulcher) and Pv. kribensis are 2 very different species from 2 different locations. Way, way in the past Pv. pulcher was erroneously called "kribensis" in the hobby, probably because they were originally exported from the port at Kribi, Cameroon. The scientific community has...
It really depends on the bacteria and the bacterial load in an aquarium. In an established tank it should only take less than a day depending on aeration. BTW NH4 (ammonium ion) is different from NH3 (ammonia).
My preference would be the Keyhole. It is a cichlid with a gentle nature. My only concern would be the lower winter temperatures if they remained that way over a period of time. At the lower temperature for a species of fish its metabolism slows down which means its immune system does too.
More than likely due to being in an aquarium with no fry predators and a lot of food. I've also found that some species take more time guarding their fry than others.
A rare import so it might take a while to find them. I had a pair back in 1984 when it was called Crennicara sp. Rio Negro. I personally haven't seen them since.
Nice looking tank. Your idea of only 1 apisto is great. A. cf. agassizii Netz forms do occur in the Rio Negro, but only the lower part. C. duplicareus and Cardinals (until this tetra escaped from holding pens in Manaus) are only found in the upper Rio Negro.
A. diplotaenia is not found in the same habitat as discus, if that matters to you. They live among rocks and sand ripples in major river channels, but not in jungle-covered streams.
The last photo shows a male. Your photos demonstrate the problem with using limited photos that do not show multiple pictures of the fish in different behavioral moods.