1st Apisto tank setup.... Help!!

[Mislisa]

Hi, I'm planning out the stocking of my new 27g as a Apisto setup. The measurements of the tank are 12' W x 36" L x 16" H.

So far, the plan is:
3 x Apistos - 1 m & 2 f (not sure what variety right now, i have to check with my lfs to see whats available)
~6 x Endlers (moved from my multi tank... they don't really like it in there)
1 x BN pleco

Possibly ~6 kuhli loches moved from my 55g (if i can catch them) - not sure if these would be ok with apistos as they aren't south american

I'm not sure if this stocking would work, as I've never kept apistos before. I've heard that you should have at least 2 females, but I'm not sure how many I should have in this tank... The tank will be heavily planted with a sand substrate, and will have lots of wood and rock caves. I also plan on buying some of those almond leaves to add to the tank.


Any and all suggestions welcome!!

 

[Mislisa]

ok, I just realized why I had the endlers in with the Multies... They prefer hard water, not soft like the apistos.

So..... I need to think up a different dither fish for this tank, and will probably move the endlers into my new 15g that I haven't really planned out yet. they do need to come out of the multi tank, as they are being terrorized by the 2 big males.

I need to pop in to my LFS to see what's available.... it's been too long.

 

[ChuckinMA]

Pencil fish, also from South America, go very well with apisto's. I have four (and will be adding a few more) Nannostomus beckfordi. Will be curious to hear which Apisto's your LFS has in stock and what you settle on.

Your plan for laying out the tank sounds very good. I'm trying a few oak leaves right now and it looks better than I expected.

 

[Simon Morgan]

You don't need to keep Apistos in trios, some make very stable pairs. Others do fall out after spawning but your tank is large enough for them to avoid each other until they make up.
I'd avoid the kuhlis or any bottom dweller tbh, they will disturb the Apistos and may be attacked by them. Otherwise, most South American Tetras, Pencilfish and small rasboras will make suitable companions although some tetras are efficient fry predators.

 

[Mislisa]

Thanks for the advice. I don't think I'll add the kuhlis, as I'm going to try and keep it as a biotope.

May I ask what kind of filter you'd suggest? The tank is 3' long so I wouldn't think a sponge filter would be strong enough... I was thinking of getting a filstar canister filter (the smallest is rated for 45g) and putting sponge or mesh over the intake.

Also, I'm wanting to add quite a few plants, but I don't want to deal with adding CO2. What substrate would you suggest for this? I was debating between a simple sand bottom or a dirt base with sand on top. Thoughts?

 

[Simon Morgan]

An Apisto biotope wouldn't have plants, just mud and leaf litter, some wood. So you might as well choose the plants you like, but if you want to go low tech, use Crypts planted in sand, Java fern and Anubias attached to wood.
The dithers are personal taste but if you want to stay south american, and you want the Apistos to breed then go for Pencilfish.

 

[Mislisa]

An Apisto biotope wouldn't have plants, just mud and leaf litter, some wood. So you might as well choose the plants you like, but if you want to go low tech, use Crypts planted in sand, Java fern and Anubias attached to wood.
The dithers are personal taste but if you want to stay south american, and you want the Apistos to breed then go for Pencilfish.

Huh.... I've seen lots pictures of apisto biotopes with plants, so am I missing something? also, this has to look pleasing to myself and i'm a fan of planted tanks. I'm not sure how heavily planted this will be yet, but I believe i will try to cover much of the back, preferably with amazonian plants. I am going to try my best to keep all of the plants at least south american, which none of your suggestions are (as far as i can tell). I have ordered some Manzanita wood, as my LFS doesn't sell much in the way of wood and I don't feel comfortable just picking stuff off the ground.



I'm planning on using a dirt substrate capped with a layer of play sand. I will then add a layer of leaves (almond leaves, or oak if I can get them).

Quick question about filters.... I'm thinking of buying the Filstar XP- S, but i'm unsure whether it might be too powerful. It's rated for 45g, and the tank is 27g. I don't want to use a sponge filter, as I feel that the tank is too long for one to work properly, and I dislike HOB filters. If you can give me any suggestions, that'd be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, anyone have any suggestions for caves? The only thing I can come up with is Coconut caves, but those wouldn't fit in well with the biotope. :S

Any and all thoughts welcome!

 

[Simon Morgan]

You're not missing anything, some people don't know what the word biotope means. Here's an example of a true biotope, mud, leaves and wood, no aquatic plants... http://apisto.sites.no/page.aspx?PageId=51
If you want a nice planted tank, go for it, perfectly fine for apistos and looks nice in the living room.
Savu pods for caves?