apisto macmasteri in a 20 gallon

[talisker]

i picked up six macmasteri from my local fish shop ,they are still a bit small to sex i'm planing on keeping 1m 2f when i find out the sex, what else could i keep in a 20 gallon long tank would it be possible to keep a few livebearers in there such as guppys.
also as for tank decoration i've got either a smallish piece of bogwood or a large piece which is almost the full length of the tank, just wondering what the fish would appreciate the most

 

[Jonathan Aquari]

Do not keep guppies. Based on personal experience and research, guppies cannot survive more than 1 or 2 years in the low ph, conductivity, ect. that apistogrammas need

 

[Mike Wise]

Most people here recommend pencilfish. A 20L should be OK for a trio of Macs - if properly decorated.

 

[talisker]

i can't seem to find any pencil fish near me, what about a school of rummy nose tetra and mybe a couple of otto's.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Not sure about Rummy noses they may be a bit bottom orientated, but Black Neon Tetra's make good dithers and are easy to find, as they stay well up in the water column and like soft water. Otocinclus should be fine, but you need to feed them (I use zucchini and green beans).

Both Rummy noses and Otocinclus need good water quality, and Otocinclus don't do well in non-planted tanks.

cheers Darrel

 

[Linus_Cello]

What about some marbled hatchet fish as dithers?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

What about some marbled hatchet fish as dithers?

Marbled Hatchets are good dithers if you can find them, but you really need a wingless fruit fly culture and Daphnia to keep them happy long term. Black Neon Tetras are a lot easier to keep.

cheers Darrel