Apisto pairs in same tank

[jowens]

A two part question:

1. How many pairs of Apistos do people feel is safe to keep (relatively) peacefully in a 45-gallon tank?

2. Which are the (relatively) common species of Apistos that you would mix?

I currently have a pair of Cacatuoides and a pair of Agassizzi in my 46-gallon bowfront with some Rams and several killies. I'd like to put one more pair in there (borrelli?), but I've been hesitating because of questions of territoriality...as well as the basic lack of info that's out there on Apisto behavior. Spawning is a bonus rather than a neccessity for me...

 

[Neil]

Jason,
I think you would be pressing your luck with a pair of borellii in that tank! Although not particularily aggressive, both of those other species are terrors :twisted: in comparison to borellii. It might be a little different if you had the borellii in there first or if you had a larger tank. You may want to try getting a few more cacatuoides or aggies. Having a group of one species or another may provide some interesting behaviors. You may also consider a Dwarf with a different reproductive scheme, like a substrate spawner. But you are fairly limited by the size of the tank and the fact that you already probably have fish that have claimed most of the available ground space as their territory. So choose wisely or go with the status quo.

 

[jowens]

I suspected that might be the answer. Well, hopefully I will have some more Aggies or Cacs before too long! I am removing fry (when they come) to help keep a lid on the aggression, but you're right - the territory in the tank is mostly claimed. The male aggy, in particular, is a rather belligerent fellow.

I'll leave as is, and work on breeding a few of my surface dwelling killies, as the territorial issues don't seem to apply much in that area of the tank.

 

[Jorge Luiz Meloni]

Hi guys
I'm a braziliam apistogramma appreciattor for long time and in my opinion you can put more pairs since you follow the occurrences day by day.
The apistos are very territorial fish and during the reproduction they stay more agressive than normal time.
Generally if you have no female in the aquárium They protect only the sector or cave.