Apistogramma cross breeding and coexistence

[Nickolay]

Hi I have a question. I'd like to have 750 liters aquarium (300cm X 50cm X 50cm) and want to have certain species: baenschi(atahualpa), bitaeniata, paulmuelleri and dicrossus, taeniacara and m.altispinoza.
Could be some problems? For example cross breeding between species of apisto and and coexistence.

Thanks

 

[Mike Wise]

It really depends on the lay-out of the tank (visual territorial boundaries). Cross-breeding shouldn't be a problem with the apistos since they are all different in shape/finnage and from different species-groups within the genus. Since this is a community tank, I don't expect breeding to be very successful.

 

[Nickolay]

thank a lot

 

[Nickolay]

It really depends on the lay-out of the tank (visual territorial boundaries). Cross-breeding shouldn't be a problem with the apistos since they are all different in shape/finnage and from different species-groups within the genus. Since this is a community tank, I don't expect breeding to be very successful.

Mike, Do dicrossus, taeniacara and any species of apistogramma have the same biotope?

 

[Mike Wise]

How local do you mean by 'biotope'? Do you mean sympatric?

 

[Nickolay]

No, I mean these species can exist in the same geographic area (to be neighbors in nature) without interbreeding? I don't want inter(cross)breeding, I'm for the purity of blood )))

 

[chris1805]

I know some Apistogramma's are found in the wild with Dicrossus. Sadly i can't remember which Dicrossus it was and which Apistogramma it was -.-

 

[Mike Wise]

In that case, yes there are species whose geographic ranges overlap each other. That being said, crosses of species almost never occurs in the wild. That is because there are males and females of the same species living together. When given a choice species will breed with their own species, and they can recognize who belongs to their species.

 

[andris]

with regards to that question would you keep d. maculatus and for example appistogramma elizabethae together in a 4ft tank?

 

[Mike Wise]

These 2 species aren't sympatric. Not only that, but they come from biotopes with different water conditions. One will be less comfortable with conditions of the other. You can try it if you want. That's up to you. Personally, if I wanted to keep D. macuatus with an apisto, I'd keep it with A. agassizii, since it is sympatric with A. cf. agassizii (BBCS). If I wanted to keep A. elizabethae, I'd keep it with D. filamentosus or D. foirni, which lives in similar blackwater habitats.

 

[andris]

thank you, in general i would prefer keeping species which are sympatric. is A elizabethae sympatric with D filamentosus or D foirni? or its only similar blackwater biotope? is there any good source for studying this?

 

[Mike Wise]

Check Fish base and search for species from the Rio Uaupés and Rio Içna. D. filamentosa might be from there, but D. Foirni is from further down the Rio Negro.