Apisto agassizii biotope

[PissBabyTheFourth]

I want to set up a 20 gallon long biotope for a pair of apistogramma agassizii, but I can’t find much info on the rivers they live in and the fish they live with, so I was wondering if anyone could help me out or give me some links with good info!

 

[MacZ]

Apistogramma agassizii – Agassizi’s Dwarf Cichlid, Agassiz Zwergbuntbarsch (DE) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

That should settle the distribution question.

 

[Mike Wise]

Have you looked at TomC's website (https://www.tomc.no)? There are so many collecting locations described and many show photos of the sites and fish, often including forms of A. agassizii.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Yea I just found it not too long ago, right now my plan is the agassizii pair, 8 marbled hatchetfish, and 12 loreto tetras. Are there any other fish or maybe inverts native to the area that I could add?

 

[MacZ]

Inverts you can mostly forget about, at least when it comes to availabilty. Besides the amazon leaf shrimp (Euryrhynchus amazoniensis) you'll find almost no inverts from the Amazon basin in the trade. And I find these shrimp not compatible with dwarf cichlids. Also good like finding the tetras.

I would still recommend not getting a pair of the Apistogramma.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Inverts you can mostly forget about, at least when it comes to availabilty. Besides the amazon leaf shrimp (Euryrhynchus amazoniensis) you'll find almost no inverts from the Amazon basin in the trade. And I find these shrimp not compatible with dwarf cichlids. Also good like finding the tetras.

I would still recommend not getting a pair of the Apistogramma.

is the apistogramma pair not compatible with the tetras and hatchets? Or is it overstocking?

 

[MacZ]

In a biotope display that size it's better to keep just a single male Apisto, a pair is a constant stress factor for every fish. You can't separate the pair at will (which when running even only a small breeding facility with 3-4 smaller tanks in a rack would be easy going), and the likelihood of losses (in almost all cases the female) is high.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

In a biotope display that size it's better to keep just a single male Apisto, a pair is a constant stress factor for every fish. You can't separate the pair at will (which when running even only a small breeding facility with 3-4 smaller tanks in a rack would be easy going), and the likelihood of losses (in almost all cases the female) is high.

Ah ok, so is my only option a single mail or could I just remove the tetras?

 

[MacZ]

Decide: Breeding (apisto pair and pencils) OR Biotope display (whatever you want plus a single apisto).

Trying a combination ends up in stress for you and the fish and probably losses.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Decide: Breeding (apisto pair and pencils) OR Biotope display (whatever you want plus a single apisto).

Trying a combination ends up in stress for you and the fish and probably losses.

Gotcha, thanks!

 

[MacZ]

You're welcome.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Sorry lol one more question, if I’m only gonna get a male, do you know where I could just buy a single male?

 

[MacZ]

Sorry lol one more question, if I’m only gonna get a male, do you know where I could just buy a single male?

I would simply go to my LFS. We live in different countries and likely different continents, so I'm of no help there.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Gotcha

 

[Ben Rhau]

It’s less common, though possible, to find wild caught agassizii. You can ask the seller if they’re willing to sell you just a male. Sometimes they have an excess of one or the other, especially if someone else bought a trio. When collecting, there’s often a bias toward males since they tend to more colorful and easier to sell.

 

[MacZ]

Sometimes they have an excess of one or the other, especially if someone else bought a trio. When collecting, there’s often a bias toward males since they tend to more colorful and easier to sell.

Yep, here people tend to buy trios from the start, you always have excess males nobody wants.