A.Steindachneri and Blue Rams

[Doyouwantaspoon]

Hi,
Is it possible to keep a pair of Apistogramma Steindachneri alongside a pair of Blue Rams in a meter long 200L tank? The tank is heavily planted with many caves and hiding places. My LFS says this should be ok whilst a friend advises that they are con specific and won’t tolerate each other. I’d be grateful for any further advice!

 

[apistobob]

Generally speaking, I think that tyou should have few problems as long as you provide quality habitat with plenty of compexity.

Bob

 

[Mike Wise]

"Conspecific" (belonging to the same species) is the wrong word. I think he meant "syntopic" (species or populations that live together that may interbreed) or "sympatric" (species or populations that live in the same general area, usually not closely related). None actually apply to the Ram & A. steindachneri. They are in different genera and are not found together as far as I know. Moreover, since they have different breeding & territorial requirements, they should do fine together in a properly decorated aquarium.