Apisto Interbreeding?

[pianofish]

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to the forums and I have a quick question about interbreeding. My LFS has 3 types of apistos: agazizi, cacatuoides, and nijsseni. I would like to get a pair of all 3 but I want to be sure that they won't "mix" before I do this. Will it work?
Also do I need to get more than 1 female per male? I'm not sure if the LFS has enough to do 2 per male.

Thanks a bunch,
Your pal,
Pianofish

 

[Mike Wise]

These 3 species belong to 3 different species-groups, so it is highly unlikely that they will hybridize. As for keeping the 3 species together, I don't see a major problem - if the tank is large enough. For 3 pairs, I would suggest nothing smaller than a highly structured 55 gallon/1 m tank. If you add more females then you'll need a larger tank. All 3 will adapt to the same water values, but for breeding A. nijsseni will do best below pH 5.8 and very soft water (< 5° dGH). The other species don't need such extreme values. Also realize that A. nijsseni form pairs when breeding - and they can be choosy about their mate - while the other 2 are polygamous. This means that the female is the sole caretaker for fry of A. agassizii and A. cacatuoides, while A. nijsseni commonly jointly take care of the fry. Which species do you think has a better chance of keeping their fry safe?

 

[pianofish]

I have a 75 gallon planted, with water pretty hard, about 7 ph. But I don't really plan on like inducing them to breed, if it happens that would be great, but these fish will be part of a community tank, so I'm not going to be too picky about it.
Thanks for the info though, I appreicate it!