75 Gallon: Apisto trifasciata or Bolivian Rams?

[679x]

I have space for a 4 foot 75 gallon tank, but I'll probably only be getting it near the end of this year... anyway, I'm still going to plan it out early so that I can get a good idea of what I can have in the tank.

There are two species of cichlid I'd like to keep for the bottom portion of the tank: Bolivian rams, OR Apistogramma trifasciata. I've never kept dwarf cichlids before but I am prepared to cater to their needs.

My ideal tank would have a large group of dwarf cichlids at the bottom. I would consider keeping Cory catfish but only if it's possible, and if I had to reduce the possible number of the cichlids in order for it to work, I'd just pass on the cories. My main focus is the cichlids.

With that being said, I'd like to know how many of each species (A. trifasciata, or Bolivian rams) I can keep. Keep in mind that they wouldn't both be in the tank - only one species of dwarf cichlid would be. The tankmates and tank scape will then depend on which cichlid I end up getting.

I want a large group of cichlids, but when I look up info for how many apistos or rams I can get in a tank, I only find results for small tanks like 20-30 gallons. For a 75 gallon, how many Apistogramma trifasciata can I have (I read they're a harem breeder?) Or, how many Bolivian rams can I have? I feel like a 4-foot tank would be suitable for multiple male Apistos and many females per male, but I could be wrong because I've never kept them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mike Wise]

My rather conservative rule for housing dwarf cichlids - particularly for inexperienced d.c. keepers - is 1 sq. ft./30 sq. cm of bottom area for each cichlid. This can go up or down depending on species, tank decor and lay-out of territories. For a 75 gallon tank (48x18"/120x45cm) this is 6 dwarf cichlids.

 

[679x]

My rather conservative rule for housing dwarf cichlids - particularly for inexperienced d.c. keepers - is 1 sq. ft./30 sq. cm of bottom area for each cichlid. This can go up or down depending on species, tank decor and lay-out of territories. For a 75 gallon tank (48x18"/120x45cm) this is 6 dwarf cichlids.

Thanks for the reply. I read that A. trifasciata were harem breeders, and I wonder if I could keep two males (with multiple females per male) in a tank of that size?

My knowledge about dwarf cichlids is just whatever I find with google searches... but it seems that Bolivian rams are less territorial than Apistogramma. If I decide to go the Bolivian ram route, how many could I keep? Yes, I know you just gave me a rule for it but I'd imagine the rams would be more peaceful than other dwarf cichlids. I could be wrong though.

 

[Mike Wise]

Territorial fish are, well, territorial. Everything depends on how a tank is decorated. I wouldn't keep 2 male A. trifasciata together unless they never see each other. For their small size they are highly aggressive. They are just as bad with females unwilling to breed. As for Bolivian Rams, if a pair decides to breed, they require a much larger brood territory than most apistos.