10 gal. dwarf ?........

[bullhead]

Well first off I am new to the site and look forward to learning much.I have a 10 gal. planted tank that I would like to put a pair of dwarfs in.I am not quite sure as to which type would be best suited for a small tank.I have kept blue and bolivian rams and love the personalities and color.I am not opposed to africn cichlids at all,I geuss it depends on the fish.Any suggestions are welcome.Oh yeah,I want to apologise for the generic question that has probably been asked more than a few times before,but its late and I'm tired.

 

[Mike Wise]

Experienced dwarf cichlid breeders can keep a pair of most d.c.s in a 10. If you are just starting with them, I suggest A. borellii. It is small and not very aggressive compared to other dwarf. The nice thing about A. borellii is that there are many different color varieties.

 

[bullhead]

Thanks for that bit of advice Mike.I like borelli's alot and have noticed that there are alot of different color varieties.Is color indicative of region or is it breeding?

 

[Mike Wise]

Thanks for that bit of advice Mike.I like borelli's alot and have noticed that there are alot of different color varieties.Is color indicative of region or is it breeding?

Not really. Staeck collected the species over its entire range. None of the color varieties are geographically significant. It does seem that the more northern populations have more yellow on the body and fins than do the more southern populations.

 

[valice]

You can also go with the Dicrossus spp. They are generally more peaceful than all the other dwarfs.

 

[Apistomaster]

I would not recommend Dicrossus as they are so demanding of perfect water quality that can be hard to attain in only a ten. They also can grow to a size where a 20L is a better fit for a trio. It can be done but it is a more delicate balance than you may wish to have to work with.

A.borelli is the closest to beng the perfect 10 gal Apisto.
On color: I started off with brilliant blue body and finned wild caught but over the generations they produce a range of color morphs from the original color to that of bright blue bodies with yellow dorsal and anal fins. Each color morph is beautiful and it would be hard to choose a favorite. Plus everything in-between.

A. borelli can be relied on to raise their spawns in ten gallon aquariums.

 

[bullhead]

thank you evryone for thier advice.it has been great help.