24x12x12 Apisto Biotope

[Jimi]

Okay, it's time for the procrastination to stop. After a good few years away from the hobby, I'm now in a position where I can get an aquarium up an running without the fear that I'll be moving house within the next 12 months.

I've been wanting an Apisto biotope for several years now, but I thought I'd just throw a few questions out there to get people s current opinions. I've spent four years, on and off researching often conflicting opinions and I'm at a stage where I'm willing to make some firm decisions.

I've already got two aquariums I can chose to use. One is 24x12x12 and the other is 24x12x15 (If I remember correctly).

Although I've kept my hand in on the hobby over the years, even without having my own aquariums any more, I feel that technology has moved on somewhat and there seems to be a plethora of new equipment out there available to the hobbiest.


Ultimately my aquarium will house a pair of Apistos, a shoal of Black Neon Tetras and possibly some Pygmy Corydoras.

So ... in no particular order ...

Planting

Most sources I see recommend a well planted aquarium. I've always liked plated aquariums and I am willing to provide for one. However, many other sources I have read have described the waters of the Amazon as being devoid of much vegetation growing in their waters and more a combination of decaying wood and plant matter.

Filtration

I'm almost certainly looking at an external canister filter here. They're far less hassle and far more effective in most cases. What are people experiences of canister filters for this size of aquarium? (12 Imperial gallons/15 US gallons). What sort of difference (is any) would having a heavily planted aquarium make. I've read reports of highly planted aquariums needing a particularly high rate of flow. How is this going to compare to the flow in nature? Are we talking slow back water, fast flowing river or stagnant black water puddle?

Lighting

This is an area that seems to have changed a lot since I last had to address it. What is currently the most cost effective way to light a planted aquarium? T5? T8? other?

Heating

I've seen the Hydor external in-line heaters and these have appealed to me for obvious reasons. Are they worth all the extra money, or would something like the Rena Smartheater be a better choice?

Planting

I'm aware that Black Neons look better under lower light conditions and that some Apistos also appreciate a more subdued illumination. On the other hand if I'm looking at needing a heavily planted tank, what are my options here? Are the enough low light species of plant that will thrive (and not just survive) from the Amazon region? Are floating plants a good idea?

How necessary is CO2 injection? Can I get away with a DIY setup, or is injection via a canister that much better?

Substrate

I've been drawn from the beginning to Aquasoil Amazonia II. However this is very expensive. I worked out that I'd need one 9ltr bag, which after I've added postage is nearly £50 just for the substrate. Is this amount of substrate about right, or have I calculated something way off? How often does the Aquasoil need replacing? Are there any alternatives that would provide a dark substrate that I could dose to provide the same benefits as the Aquasoil at a lower cost?

When I mentioned wanting to do this setup originally, I got a reply from a forum user suggesting oak leaves. Many people have said they collect their own oak leaves but I've never been happy about obtaining things from unknown sources, in case they bring in anything nasty with them. If oak leaves are used, how often do they need replacing and how many need to be used?

Residents

So many Apistos, so little space! The more I look at Apistos, the more I fall in love with them and the more I can't decide which species to go for. I'm confident that I can maintain water conditions at whatever level a particular species needs, so that's not my main concern. I'm just trying to find that perfect Apisto that has the perfect balance of colour, personality and compatibility.

Am I best just keeping one pair, or am I better off housing two females with one male? I'm all too aware that I'm playing with a relatively small body of water here and I'm not wanting to overcrowd. Again, water quality is not my primary concern (well it is, but I feel I can deal with that), I'm more concerned with having enough room for their territory to be established and not to induce unwanted stress in my residents.

When I first set out on this mission, I also had notions of Bristlenosed plecs and Corydoras. After some consideration I thought that having a pair of Bristlenoses in with a pair of Apistos in a 24x12x12 aquarium, might not provide adequate room for them both to establish their own patch as it were. I'm still torn with the Pygmy Corydoras, again I've heard mixed opinions when it comes to their suitability in this kind of setup.

Biotope

As far as possible I'd like to keep the inhabitants of this aquarium (both flora and fauna) from the same region, Mato Grosso. I'm not going to be too precious about this if it becomes unfeasable, but it would be nice (if only for my own sense of self satisfaction). So if there are any Brazilian nature experts out there that could offer any tips or anyone who knows of any Apistos that are native to that region, feel free to comment.

Okay, I'll leave it at that for now. If you've read this far ... well done! I can ramble when I'm left to my own devices. It's amazing how much easier it is to give other people advice than it is to give it to yourself!

As I move forward with this project (however small it is in size) I'm going to keep a journal that I can share.

Kind regards and thank you in advance

Jimi

 

[dfea]

Hi Jimi,

I am a newbie in dwarfs myself so I won't try to offer advice there.

But for equipment my two cents is with a tank of the size you are considering you may find it easier to use a Biowheel style filter such as the Marineland Emperor 280. I too like a planted tank (and there are lots of members who also do), I have relatively deep tanks (24" and 29") and utilize T5 HO light fixtures with descent results. At 12" inches I would think a standard twin tube T5 or T8 would be adequate depending of course on the lighting requirements of the plants you chose. I haven't actually found the need of CO2 but my tanks aren't super heavily planted and I also have the less demanding varieties such as Wisteria, Java Fern, and Anubias barteri v. ‘Nana’. They aren't exotic or aything but do the job of adding green and hiding places.

Anyway, best of luck with the new adventure, I am loving mine and the members here knowledgeable and have been very helpful to me.

- Dan

 

[dw1305]

Hi Jimi and welcome,
You've obviously thought long and hard about your tank.
First up, have a look at Apistobob's web site <http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/>, he is a member here and it gives great advice.

Personally I wouldn't bother with aquasoil or CO2, although we do have some expert aquascapers who are successful Apisto keepers, I'd go for 90% silica sand with 5% of leaf mould and 5% acid clay as a substrate. I also use rainwater, non-calcareous rocks, dead wood and oak leaves I collect from the local countryside, I've never had any problems, but I live in quite a rural area. The black water watercourses don't have many plants but the Llanos, Pantanal etc do.

I like T5 lights, and I adjust the light amount by adding or subtracting floating plants, Salvinia, Eichornia or Limnobium would be S. American natives, and also Ludwigia sedoides if you can find it. Planting could be Echinodorus spp. both "Amazon swords" and E. tenellus. I like the S. American Potamogeton gayii as well. I don't add any nutrients to the water column, although I do push small balls of clay, with a few grains of "growmore" inside, into the roots of the Swords occasionally.

I really like Anubias, floating and Java fern and "Java" moss, but none are S. American, and I'm not sure what biotope alternatives are available.

Harems are usually best, the A. panduro group are good as pairs but they are probably too aggressive for this little tank, and Peruvian etc. Mato Grosso stocking in a small tank could be a pair/trio of A. borellii and 5 Black Neon tetras, or 4 -5 of the Pencils (that occur in the Mato grosso, N. trifasciatus & N. unifasciatus I think). A. trifasciata is difficult in very small tanks because the male is aggressive towards non-spawning females meaning you need a harem and a bigger tank. A. commbrae or A. inconspicua would do, but they are difficult to find. The tanks not really big enough for Bolivian Rams (M. altispinosus).

Corydoras habrosus may be all right as a dither instead, as it is small and less bottom orientated than most other Corydoras, but there may still be problems with aggression from the cichlids and fry stealing by the catfish.

I agree Ancistrus are probably not a good idea, but Otocinclus are fine, I'm not sure there are any Mato Grosso ones, but similar Hypoptopoma spp are present. I like Malaysian Trumpet Snails, but again I'm not sure there is a suitable S. American alternative.

cheers Darrel

 

[Anubias Design]

Dwarf Corys

Actually, of the three small Corydoras that are most regularly available, C. habrosus is the most bottom-oriented. It behaves like a typical Corydoras while C. pygmaeus and C. hastatus will spend more time schooling in midwater.

Jimi, all in all it sounds like you're headed in the right direction and giving it a lot of thought before you take the plunge. I don't know what substrates are available in England but one can frequently find suitable ones in the US in garden centers and/or stone centers. If you purchase a substrate from a nontraditional source, you may want to put some in a small tank with some expendable fish for a month or few to be sure it's safe. You can add a product such as Laterite from API to the substrate to provide nutrients for the plants' roots.

Between the two available tanks, I'd use the taller one as this will give more room for the tetras to move around and get away from Apistos practicing broodcare.

Your choice of plants will determine your lighting options. In general, standard aquarium lights will probably be sufficient but you may want to consider a double bulb fixture or upgrading to T5s.

A small hang on or canister filter should work well for you, so use the one you prefer.

If you use oak or beech or almond leaves, you should use leaves that have fallen. In general, a good rinse is sufficient to render them safe. They will affect your water chemistry so the number to use depends on your water conditions. You'll need to experiment with that a bit. You might also want to add some alder cones.

Good luck,
Mark

 

[dw1305]

Wrong Corydoras

Mark wrote,
"Actually, of the three small Corydoras that are most regularly available, C. habrosus is the most bottom-oriented."
Sorry my mistake, I was thinking of C. hastatus notC. habrosus when I wrote it.
cheers Darrel

 

[Phyrex]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as Jimi. Just got my 24Lx12Wx16H and have started to cycle with a betta before adding any other fish. I didn't put any gravel/sand in yet as I'm still deciding. I hope you don't mind some follow up questions from me...

What do the "alder cones" do Mark? Do they sink or float?

It seems that many experienced apisto keepers use the white/silver silica sand but some websites write that the apistos prefer dark substrate. I'm not sure what they are used to in the wild but would it really change their behaviour, or change the fry mortality ratio?

 

[dw1305]

sand or gravel

Hi all,
Phyrex, Alder cones float for about a day and then they sink, I don't boil them or treat them at all, I just pick up the fallen ones, and keep them dry until I need them. They add a lot of tannin to the water, so I only add 2 or 3 to 50 litres, I'm not sure what effect they have on pH. (only minor disadvantage is I get lots of Alder seeds germinating on the top of the sponge filter etc)

I use silica sand, I don't think the colour is a disadvantage, as if you have enough moss, plants, caves, leaves etc. very little of it is visible. The fish like sifting through it, in a way they can't do with gravel. I also find I get a lot of fine plant roots growing all through the sand, in a way they wouldn't do with gravel. I used to rinse the sand until it was really clean, but now I add about 5% oak leaf mould and 5% acid clay to the sand when I put it in the tank.

Have a look at the breeding section on:

<http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/Apistogramma_hongsloi.php>,

I don't think Bob's fish look like the sand substrate bothered them too much.

cheers Darrel

 

[dw1305]

natural substrate for Apistogrammas

Hi all,
Phyrex, I think the answer to the substrate question is a thick layer of leaves and dead wood over silica sand or lateritic clay in the black water rivers of central Amazonia.

White water rivers will have leaves, wood, clay, sand, gravel or rocks dependent upon the flow, and clear water rivers wood, leaves and either rock or sand dependent upon the flow. Clearwater rivers may also have an extensive growth of aquatic plants, whereas the other water types won't, although they may have floating plants, submerged terrestrial plants, and plants like Echinodorus "Amazon Sword" which are adapted to a living in the seasonally flooded forest.

Have a look at these:
<http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/shanesworld.php?article_id=177>
<http://apisto.sites.no/page.aspx?PageId=60>
<http://www.aquapress-bleher.com/index.php>

I'm sure that lots of moss, plants and biofilm are important for fry survival, and as small tanks are easier to manage with lots of plants, I have these even though they may not be present in the wild.

cheers Darrel

 

[Jimi]

Thanks for all the replies. Some of the links were really interesting. If I was to go with the leaves, how often (if at all) do they need replacing?

 

[dw1305]

leaves

Hi Jimi,
I don't tend to remove the leaves as such, I just very occasionally siphon up some of the smaller leaf fragments. Some leaves skeletonize, so they probably aren't adding anything to the water, but they look quite natural so I tend to leave them. I have lots of plants but only 4 or 5 leaves at any time (in a 24"), if I had a very thick leaf layer, I'd probably remove approx. 1/3 of the leaves every couple of months.
cheers Darrel