actual species sizes ???

[bigtanksmallfish]

is there any reliable source anywhere to get actual maximum sizes species? quick google searches are all over the place and will give you 2-3 inches for all of them which is in my opinion far too vague. I know some people can do much better than that.
I want something longer in the body, here are the fish available to me within 1hrs driving:
agassizii many different kinds
baenschi inka
bitaeniata
borelli opal
cacatuoides many different kinds
D12
D50
hongsloi
iniridae
lineata
panduro
viejita iii
I got a 6ft tank and sump built and delivered by Concept Aquariums
I want larger Apistogramma I will see out with my Kerri tetras

 

[MacZ]

I don't know what sources you've tapped into, but my advice wpuld be to look into centimeter because then you get more exact numbers.

Besides that most species are close to each other. Males 6-7cm, females 4.5-5.5cm for most species.

Outliers would be A. borellii with an absolute maximum of 6cm for males, while females may stay under 4cm. In the other direction A. macmasteri has a tendency to grow quite big with 7.5cm for males and 6cm for females, especially in domestic breeds, which all tend to grow much larger than the wild forms.

 

[anewbie]

In truth you should focus more on behavior than on size though depending on height and width of your aquarium you might find most non assertive species lost - i can say my nijjensi were quite assertive and i did keep them with kerri tetra which oddly did not pray on frys.

 

[Drayden Farci]

I mean, 2-3" is fairly accurate for most species. My males have always been around 2.75" at full size, but at breeding facilities that pump brine shrimp and water changes for all the fish, I've seen males get 3.5" long and 1.5" tall. If you don't encourage them to grow rapidly like these places, then 1" tall and 3" long is fairly accurate for a final size. Not sure why 2-3" isn't accurate enough for your purposes?

As for longer-bodied fish from that list you gave:
agassizii
bitaeniata
cacatuoides
iniridae
lineata

But you also mentioned wanting "larger" Apistos, so these will probably appear bigger than any of the longer-bodied species above:
D12
D50
hongsloi
panduro
macmasteri (almost certainly not viejita, just be aware of that when purchasing)

These fish all have more robust bodies compared to the slender ones listed first.

 

[MacZ]

Not sure why 2-3" isn't accurate enough for your purposes?

The only thing I can imagine is the stupid cm/inch fish per liter/gallon water rule people are still using

 

[anewbie]

I mean, 2-3" is fairly accurate for most species. My males have always been around 2.75" at full size, but at breeding facilities that pump brine shrimp and water changes for all the fish, I've seen males get 3.5" long and 1.5" tall. If you don't encourage them to grow rapidly like these places, then 1" tall and 3" long is fairly accurate for a final size. Not sure why 2-3" isn't accurate enough for your purposes?

As for longer-bodied fish from that list you gave:
agassizii
bitaeniata
cacatuoides
iniridae
lineata

But you also mentioned wanting "larger" Apistos, so these will probably appear bigger than any of the longer-bodied species above:
D12
D50
hongsloi
panduro
macmasteri (almost certainly not viejita, just be aware of that when purchasing)

These fish all have more robust bodies compared to the slender ones listed first.

I'd move the cockatoo into the lower category - every male i've had have been quite bulky certianly as large if not larger than the d50 i had.

Also one problem with 'size' is females are of course a bit smaller so when someone sez cockatoo are x size they seem to pick a number between average female and male; and of course if you get a small female and large male (i've found high variance esp among domestic but also with wild - 1 of my female is a good 25% samller than the other female for example).

 

[Mike Wise]

Fish grow throughout their life; slower after sexual maturity, yes, but they still grow. So age - and proper maintenance - are major size determinations. Right now I have older (3+ years) apistos that are easily close to 10 cm/4" TL. I once saw a Cleithracara maronii (Key Hole Cichlid) that was close 17cm/7½" TL. This is a fish that is reported to grow only to 10 - 12cm/4-5".

 

[Drayden Farci]

I'd move the cockatoo into the lower category - every male i've had have been quite bulky certianly as large if not larger than the d50 i had.

Yes, I probably should have moved it. But they don't have the round belly that D50 have.

 

[bigtanksmallfish]

people need to chill out here this is why I have been a member for 2 years and never posted. it’s like a wars one sometimes I see on some posts. I am definitely not using the inch per gallon rule. I have around 200 gallons of surface with a 75 gallon sump loaded with 4 different foams (20ppi/30ppi/40ppi/50ppi and 60 bio bricks and media. I have lots of open space in the tank. there are 24 Kerri tetra that will max at 2 inch and a few small pleco that stay under 5 inch. I plan maybe 8 Apistogramma tops. this is not a huge load on the system. I want LONGER fish so I can see them from the couch without walking up to the tank and squinting. thank you.

 

[anewbie]

people need to chill out here this is why I have been a member for 2 years and never posted. it’s like a wars one sometimes I see on some posts. I am definitely not using the inch per gallon rule. I have around 200 gallons of surface with a 75 gallon sump loaded with 4 different foams (20ppi/30ppi/40ppi/50ppi and 60 bio bricks and media. I have lots of open space in the tank. there are 24 Kerri tetra that will max at 2 inch and a few small pleco that stay under 5 inch. I plan maybe 8 Apistogramma tops. this is not a huge load on the system. I want LONGER fish so I can see them from the couch without walking up to the tank and squinting. thank you.

Quite frankly most species of apistogramma are a bad choice for this layout period. You would be better off with (for example) laetacara araguaiae or laetacara dorsigera or even Cleithracara maronii all are larger and more peaceful in a group. I know first hand since i have 6 laetacara araguaiae in a 200. You can of course go larger with 2 angelfishes or some lovely Mesonauta egregius.... There are a lot of options outside the genus apistogramma and even more so i'm not sure why you would target that specific genus given how unsuitable it is for a large community aquarium.

 

[bigtanksmallfish]

I was actually told by multiple shops that this setup would be great with Apistogramma. sand and slate and driftwood and plants. in the wild their “tank” is way bigger than mine. it’s a whole river. and they are surrounded by tetras and plecos and even larger cichlids. I am not looking for any breeding or any fry but I know they will breed anyways, they always have for me, in any situations.