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Apisto Combinations?

Big G

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
53
Hi folks,

I recently had a thread up in which I had my latest Apisto purchase identified as Ap. Trifasciata, with the possibility of being Ap. Cf. Trifasciata (Guapore). I have one Male, and two females (had three but one died).

What my next question is, what other Apisto would be safe to house in a well planted 1.2m (4ft) tank with the Trifasciata? I would be looking to keep one pair only of another species, as I do not want to cause too many issues with territorial disputes. The tank has lots of wood in there too, so there are plenty of 'line of sight boundries'.

I was hoping to get hold of something like Ap. Bitaeniata (Tefe) or cf. Agassizii 'Santerum Red', but there are just so many Apistos out there, that these two certainly are not the only choices. I am pretty limited though as Apistos can be rather hard to get in this neck of the world!

Would the above mentioned be ok with the Trifasciata? I was quite surprised by the aggresion shown by my Male Trifasciata, as I had always believed before that they were relatively peacefull Apisto's, hence my question?

Are there any others that you would recommend? Or Avoid like the plague?

Regards
G!
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
I think that the A. bitaeniata might be too similar in appearance to A. trifasciata. There might be some nasty fights. Personally, I would pick a species that occurs sympatrically with A. trifasciata in the wild: A. borellii or a combrae-complex species.
 

Big G

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
53
Thanks Mike,

I did think of Borelli, but thought that the strong blues might be a little too close in colouration to the Trifasciata, so may cause issues there?

So which species fall under the Combrae Complex? Is it just Ap. Linkei, Ap. Inconspicua and Ap. Combrae? They are all rather bland looking from the pics I've seen?

This will be a general community tank, so I'm looking for contrasts of colour, but obviously want to keep a happy tank going. Which other species would you recommend as companions with the Tri's?

Regards
G!
 

Linus_Cello

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
276
Location
Washington DC
I think the body shapes between borelli vs trifasciata are different enough for them both to co-exist. I currently have borelli and trifasciata in a 75 gallon heavily planted tank (albeit I got the trifasciata only 2 weeks ago; so far it seems that there are no problems yet).

Below is some advice I got from someone on another forum:

The 3 best first Apistogramma species recommended to beginners are, A. borelli, A. cacatuoides and A. trifasciata.
Only one trio of each species are recommended. It is usually best to choose one species each from the various body plans. For example, A slender species like A.trifasciata and a more stocky shape like A. borelli. The more similar they are in shape the more likely the interspecific aggression is to occur. But of these 3 species, A. cacatuoides is a relatively speaking, giant Apistogramma species when full grown but in a 75 gal any two of these three could share a tank. A. borelli is the smallest of the three but it is a slow growing species, especially considering it's size. A. trifasciata is one of the fastest growing Apistogramma species but like A. borelli, it is among the smallest of the Apistogramma species.
A. borelli and A. trifasciata share an overlapping range in the Matto Grosso and head waters of the Rio Paraguay if you like to be more ecologically correct. A. cacatuiodes are from Peru.
All three species are not demanding of special water chemistry. They are sensitive to nitrites but all Apistogramma are. So clean water is all you need with a pH between 6.0 to 8.0. and soft to moderately hard water is acceptable even for breeding.
 

Big G

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
53
Hi Linus,

Thanks for the info, some useful stuff in there!

I'm not sure if I would consider myself a beginner though? Although I am relatively new to Apisto's, and constantly learning, I have been breeding Caca's, Agassizii and Ap. Sp. 'Steel blues' for over a year and a half, and had quite a bit of success doing so, but I just had my facts wrong for Trifasciata. As stated, I had always been under the impression that Trifasciata were relatively peaceful and passive species (similar to Caca's), and hence a good choice for beginners, but it would appear that this is not the case. Hence my dilema? I do not want to part with the Trifasciata, but want to keep more than one species in the tank?

Borelli are of interest to me if I can get hold of any? Very rarely seen down these parts, but not as rare as the Combrae Complex Sp. Thats why I'm also asking which others may work ok with the Trifasciata?

I find it highly frustrating at times though, as I know one guy had Bitaeniata, Agassizii, Ap. Sp. Tefe, and several pairs of Cacatuoides all in the same 1.2m, and never had a single issue! But you could gaurentee that if I tried this, there would be serious issues!

I also seem to struggle finding info on the net which indicates which species are compatable with others, and which are considered aggresive or not? I know that Baenschi and Sp. 'Steel Blue' are both aggressive types, particularly around breeding, but other than that, it seems there's a huge lack of this kind of info on the net?

Thanks again for all your time,
Regards
G!
 

Big G

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
53
Haha! No prob Mike! I guess I asked for it?!

I do actually struggle to read 'real' books, as I am slysdexic, and often find reading on the net a lot easier. I do have a good few books, but they are mostly just profiles and parameters of the actual fish, with very little about compatability or tank mate suggestions. I also find that a lot of books differ greatly in their info, and often contradict each other. I guess thats why forums work well, because you can discuss around info, rather than just read it and be left not knowing which is correct?

Do you have a few titles I could look into that you would recommend with regards to Apistos and their compatibility specifically?

Thanks again for your time and effort, it is appreciated. Sorry if I caused you any frustration!

Regards
G!
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Undoubtedly the best book discussing apisto behavior is Koslowski's book "Die Buntbarsche Amerikas, Band 2: Apistogramma & Co." Yes, it is in German, but I've been selling an English translation to book owners for years. I agree that forums are the best way to get opinions and are more up-to-date. Unfortunately forums are not good places for long papers/posts.
 

Big G

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
53
Thanks Mike,

Would I be able to get your English Translation in South Africa or as an e-book to download?

Regards
G!
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
I've sold it to people all over the world, including South Africa. Due to agreements with the author and publisher - and to avoid copyright infringements, I only sell it to people who own the original German language book.
 

Big G

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
53
Ok, so I need to find the original first then....

Could you PM me the cost of your translation (assuming you do not want to place it on open forum) and how we'd go about everything?

Regards
G!
 

Big G

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
53
One more Question... Is this book above the 'DATZ' book that everyone refers to?

Regards
G!
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.

arodg12

New Member
Messages
29
Location
Dayton, Ohio
I'm also interested in this book. May need a little time to acquire it though... Mike, do you think that book is good for overall information other than just behavior?

Thanks,
Corey
 

arodg12

New Member
Messages
29
Location
Dayton, Ohio
Good Deal. I'm sold man, I would certainly prefer the English version of the book, and I wish I could find a printed copy close to me haha, but all in all, I'm willing to buy that sucker. Can you give me the info on how to get that Mike?
 

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