Bagsofsmoke
New Member
- Messages
- 8
I have a 300 litre (120 x 55 x 53cm) aquarium. It is heavily planted (with S.American plants), with numerous caves, visual barriers, and a decent layer of botanicals on a sand substrate.
It is stocked with otocinclus, golden lazer corydoras, an ancistrus, serpae and black neon tetras. It is fully cycled and all the fish and plants are thriving. Water parameters are great too.
I introduced 2 x male apistogramma cacautoides of identical size. Both seemed fine although one male seemed to dominate the other. The aquarium was sufficiently big that I assumed the subordinate male would have plenty of places to hide etc., and the pair didn't really seem that antagonistic.
Sadly, one of the males died - the only death in the aquarium so far. A day before, he had been having what seemed like swim bladder issues - he was having trouble remaining horizontal and was near the surface, tail up and head down.
So i'm not sure if the cause of death was illness (in which case, no other fish has been affected and the other apisto is fine) or bullying by the other male.
I don't want to breed them (it's an Amazon-themed community tank, not a breeder) but they're such characterful, beautiful fish it seems a shame to have only one. Is it worth chancing another male? I had done a lot of research, including on these fora, and thought it would be ok to keep two males together in a tank that size. Was I just unlucky with a sick fish or are males together a bad idea?
It is stocked with otocinclus, golden lazer corydoras, an ancistrus, serpae and black neon tetras. It is fully cycled and all the fish and plants are thriving. Water parameters are great too.
I introduced 2 x male apistogramma cacautoides of identical size. Both seemed fine although one male seemed to dominate the other. The aquarium was sufficiently big that I assumed the subordinate male would have plenty of places to hide etc., and the pair didn't really seem that antagonistic.
Sadly, one of the males died - the only death in the aquarium so far. A day before, he had been having what seemed like swim bladder issues - he was having trouble remaining horizontal and was near the surface, tail up and head down.
So i'm not sure if the cause of death was illness (in which case, no other fish has been affected and the other apisto is fine) or bullying by the other male.
I don't want to breed them (it's an Amazon-themed community tank, not a breeder) but they're such characterful, beautiful fish it seems a shame to have only one. Is it worth chancing another male? I had done a lot of research, including on these fora, and thought it would be ok to keep two males together in a tank that size. Was I just unlucky with a sick fish or are males together a bad idea?