Apistogramma lifespan (noob question)

[dori]

Hi



What's the typical lifespan of a apistogramma? I've done a few google searches and it seems to range anywhere between 1 year to 5 years



Has anyone kept an apisto cacatuoides alive for more then 1 years? If so...



- What was your pH?

- what did you feed them?

- filtration?

- tank mates?

- tank size?

- where did you get them from?

- substrate?



Also if you buy a pair and they breed, what are the chances of the fry growing to adult size without you isolating the fry in a separate tank?



Cheers,

 

[regani]

In brief:
Yes
6.5
Staple of good quality flake and pellet with some BBS and microworms
Air-driven sponge filter, weekly water changes
2'x1'x15" LxWxH
Golden pencilfish
Local shop
Sand

With good water quality they should easily make it past the one year mark. If you don't remove the fry they will get slowly get killed off over time. There may be individual survivors depending on tank size. If you want to get them to adulthood you are better off separating the fry after a few weeks. They also get more difficult to catch the older they are

 

[dori]

In brief:
Yes
6.5
Staple of good quality flake and pellet with some BBS and microworms
Air-driven sponge filter, weekly water changes
2'x1'x15" LxWxH
Golden pencilfish
Local shop
Sand

With good water quality they should easily make it past the one year mark. If you don't remove the fry they will get slowly get killed off over time. There may be individual survivors depending on tank size. If you want to get them to adulthood you are better off separating the fry after a few weeks. They also get more difficult to catch the older they are

thanks for the reply regani

I think my LFS keeps the apistos in a pH of 7.3 give or take 0.2. would it matter if they were raised in higher pH and moved to a lower pH tank? or it doesnt matter

How do you maintain low pH of 6.5?

trying to get as much info as i can because these guys go for $35+ in Australia and it would be a shame if they died early

 

[regani]

It doesn't matter if they were kept at higher pH, they will be more comfortable at the slightly lower pH.
A. cacatuoides is fairly robust and can be kept at higher pH as well, but a bit lower is better IMO
You can keep the pH low by using driftwood and and leaf litter in the tank (i.e. Indian almond leaves). If your tap water is very hard you can also use rain water or a mix of tap and rain water. Another option is to filter water over some peat - do a search here and you will find some threads that discuss using peat.
Don't use pH Down or similar products as they will increase the conductivity/TDS of the water which is worse for the fish than the higher pH.
Whereabouts in Australia are you based? In some areas there are breeders where you can buy privately which usually means lower prices and often better quality.

 

[dori]

It doesn't matter if they were kept at higher pH, they will be more comfortable at the slightly lower pH.
A. cacatuoides is fairly robust and can be kept at higher pH as well, but a bit lower is better IMO
You can keep the pH low by using driftwood and and leaf litter in the tank (i.e. Indian almond leaves). If your tap water is very hard you can also use rain water or a mix of tap and rain water. Another option is to filter water over some peat - do a search here and you will find some threads that discuss using peat.
Don't use pH Down or similar products as they will increase the conductivity/TDS of the water which is worse for the fish than the higher pH.
Whereabouts in Australia are you based? In some areas there are breeders where you can buy privately which usually means lower prices and often better quality.

Im from perth WA

btw how do u control or maintain a constant pH level if u add in IAL? wouldnt it keep leeching so much that it reduces the pH so it becomes really acidic?

 

[regani]

Off the top of my head I can't think of any apisto breeders in Perth but will let you know if anyone comes to mind.

With all the weaker acids like the humic and tannic acids from plant material you can't get the the pH really low into areas that would be harmful to your fish, they all have a natural limit determined by their acid strength (pkA). Almost all apistos will still do fine in a pH of 5.5-6 and that, depending on on the water you start with, will already require a bit of effort to get there, just adding IAL is usually not enough for that. Quite a few apistos have been found in waters with a pH of just above 4 - and that you can't get to in a tank by just just adding leaves and driftwood.
So, I wouldn't worry about the pH getting too low when adding IAL - if you add heaps your fish will be very happy but you may, because you will have trouble seeing them in the dark stained water

 

[dori]

Off the top of my head I can't think of any apisto breeders in Perth but will let you know if anyone comes to mind.

With all the weaker acids like the humic and tannic acids from plant material you can't get the the pH really low into areas that would be harmful to your fish, they all have a natural limit determined by their acid strength (pkA). Almost all apistos will still do fine in a pH of 5.5-6 and that, depending on on the water you start with, will already require a bit of effort to get there, just adding IAL is usually not enough for that. Quite a few apistos have been found in waters with a pH of just above 4 - and that you can't get to in a tank by just just adding leaves and driftwood.
So, I wouldn't worry about the pH getting too low when adding IAL - if you add heaps your fish will be very happy but you may, because you will have trouble seeing them in the dark stained water

thanks for your reply

do u know if people setup blackwater tanks as display tanks? cause im thinking the water will be very dark and it wouldnt really suit a display tank

would a 4footer be too big for a blackwater tank or a waste? what do u think

 

[regani]

I have seen blackwater display tanks. If done right with the right fish in them they do look spectacular. The blackwater can really bring out the colour in some fish.
A 4ft tank won't be too big. As there are limitations in terms of plants because of lower light levels just make sure you have interesting looking DW structures so the tank doesn't look empty.
If you want it as a display tank and don't want to breed, you don't need to worry too much about tank mates for the apistos. A large school of neons looks great in a blackwater tank, or a school of lemon tetras, their colours really pop in blackwater. Lots of other tetras will work as well.

 

[dori]

I have seen blackwater display tanks. If done right with the right fish in them they do look spectacular. The blackwater can really bring out the colour in some fish.
A 4ft tank won't be too big. As there are limitations in terms of plants because of lower light levels just make sure you have interesting looking DW structures so the tank doesn't look empty.
If you want it as a display tank and don't want to breed, you don't need to worry too much about tank mates for the apistos. A large school of neons looks great in a blackwater tank, or a school of lemon tetras, their colours really pop in blackwater. Lots of other tetras will work as well.

cool thx for replying

do u think 2ft is enough for apistos?

my pH is quite high, i think its around 7.5 to 8.0, do i need to treat the water to reduce pH before adding it into my tank?

what is a typical diet that u feed your apistos? ive tried bolivian rams before but they ended up dying from bloat after they had camallanus worms

do u ever get apistos that randomly die off?

thanks for your help

 

[regani]

A 2ft tank if appropriately decorated is enough for a pair of apistos or perhaps a trio, depending on tank setup and species. Have look/search through some older threads on this forum, there are plenty of pictures and tips for setting your tank up right.

7.5-8 pH is a bit on the high side, you can store or filter water over peat to lower the pH, or if you have access to rain water, that works really well for many soft water fish.

I had a a number of apistos die over the few years I have kept them. Some got killed due to aggression, some with no obvious cause (I'd like to think they died of old age), a few have had problems with infections, usually after I got lazy with water changes.

For food I use high quality flake and pellets as staple (the brands I use are New Life Spectrum and Ocean Nutrition), together with life foods a few times a week. I use freshly hatched brine shrimp, microworms and occasionally feed black worms as life food. Of the dried foods I only feed a tiny pinch twice a day.