55G Apisto Commune!

[BoBzz]

Greetings all this is my first post on this board so go easy! :wink: well anyaway my first shot at Apistos is going to be a 55G well planted Apisto commune heres a list:
3xAtahuapla
3xPapagi
3xCacatuoides
1xGeo. Balzani
1xGeo. Steindachneri
5xPanda Corys(maybe ive heard theyre egg stealers is this true)
5xMarbled Hatchets


So how does it sound??? I welcome any and all opinions!

 

[Neil]

BoBzz,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

That is quite a list. I think that you may run into a little trouble keeping G. steindachneri in the tank with apistos. They can be ruthless to other cichlids. Balzani is actually a Dwarf Cichlid in many respects and has a better disposition, but I have never tried it so I don't know. They can get fiesty too. Placing a single specimen is certainly a much better bet than a pair of these larger fish. On top of that you have chosen 2 of the most aggressive apistos around (atahualpa and papagei), which may or may not serve you well in the attempt to place Geophagus in with Apistogramma, but almost certainly won't be any fun at all for the cacatuoides.

5xPanda Corys(maybe ive heard theyre egg stealers is this true)

Yes corys can be egg stealers, but that is the least of your problems. The defense of the eggs and fry will be difficult in this proposed tank and may lead to excessive stress for the parents. Breeding is a stressful enough activity and you don't want to add fuel to the fire. When I loose an apisto it is usually after spawning from a secondary infection brought on by the lowered immune defense that goes along with the stress of spawning.

The marble hatchets are the only fish that you have mentioned that won't be occupying the bottom of the tank. I think that you should drop a few of you choices to add a few other fish that won't be directly competing for that space.

The aggression level of these fish makes it difficult to predict what will happen, but it is entirely likely that (ie) the atahualpa will breed and chase everyone to the far corner or out of the tank, including the Geophagus. I have seen some pretty aggressive apistos. And atahualpa and papagei are experts in mean behavior. Take a look at this
http://www.apistogramma.com/adm2000.htm

The behavior of fish is dictated by more than just their species. I don't tell people to not try things(unless it has no chance of success), because that is how we develop a better understanding of the fish that we keep, but if you do keep these fish together, you need to keep a close eye and be prepared for trouble. Good luck, Neil

 

[BoBzz]

Is this Better????

WOW thank you very much i had no idea how bad the list really was! i did however realize that I had far to many bottomdwellers! so heres what im gonna drop: 5xPanda Corys
1xGeo. Steindachneri
3xApisto. Cacatuoides

Does this sound better:
3xAtahuapla
3xPapagie
1xGeo. Balzani
5xMarble Hatchets
5xCoral Red Pencilfish