Apisto pair for 29g?

[dooboogoo]

I have a 29g and I want to get a pair of apistos to breed. Are they picky when choosing partners? Would it be best to get trios? I'm thinking of A. trificiata and A. viejita. Any ideas/suggestions? I don't really want to get A. cacatuoides, so any other easy beginner's apisto.

 

[bigbird]

Morning,

I would suggest to get 1M and 2F from one of the two. I would suggest not to put in 2 types of apisto in one tank. My only suggestion would be make sure that the tank is well planted, has leaf matter, driftwood and caves , rocks and hidding places. get some dither fish, I use mountain clouds and once tank is established get some Otos for algae eating and cleanup. Good luck cheer jk :biggrin:

 

[dooboogoo]

Ok, so I'll get a trio. I've had the tank running for a couple weeks now, and its well on its way to be well planted. There's a bunch of rocks and leaf litter as well as schools of B. brigittae, Celestial Pearl Danios and ottos.

 

[bigbird]

:biggrin: good sounds great. keep us informed on the type you get and if you have success. cheers jk

 

[ElijahTurtle]

Hey I'm new to dwarfs, but not planted tanks. I had a question.
What's the purpose of having leaf litter in the tank? Or is there a particular reason?

 

[Mike Wise]

Plants and leaf litter basically serve the same purpose for apistos: a place to hide. In the wild, plants are rare in the majority of apisto biotopes so leaf litter is their preferred hiding place.

 

[dooboogoo]

I got two pairs of A. borelli sp "Opal" from Chris1932 here. I asked for a trio (2f, 1m) but he gave me and extra male.:biggrin: They're pretty small (1"-1.25") but the males are starting to show some color on their fins and cheeks. They keep hiding in the rocks and plants all the time, but I do see the bigger male swimming around in the open sometimes. Is there anything I can do to make them feel more comfortable?

The temp is around 77ºF with a few dithers: ottos, chili rasboras, and celestial pearl danios. They've only been in the tank for about a day, so I'm not worrying yet, I think they're just getting used to it. I have a pretty densely planted aquarium, so there's tons of hiding places.

 

[bigbird]

Hello,

like anything that is nrew, it takes time for them too get a feel of their new home and environment. give them 3-6days and all will be fine. Your tank description etc sounds great so enjoy and post some pics cheers jk :biggrin:

 

[dooboogoo]

I am a little over excited I think. I'm looking in the shadows and I see one of the males and his coloring is so nice! lol, but a couple of them seem to be swimming out of the shadows.

 

[chris1932]

Are the dithers in a school? The apistos will use the school of fish as an early warning signal. If the school is tight together it would mean danger in the wild, a loose disassociated school of fish has a comfort level. Give them time and they will be parading in the front of the tank begging for food. I am glad you are happy with you,re new fish.

Chris

 

[Apistomaster]

The subdominant A. borelli will always show reluctance to parade in full view of the dominant male. They will often retain fairly plain colors in the presence of the dominant male and try to slip though long enough to spawn with one of the dominant male's females the skidaddle back to their usual haunts. That is the type of behavior I'm used to seeing with this species. A. borelli tend to be shy in general.