Apistogramma panduro Question

[mermaid]

Hey All,

I am new to this forum, but glad to be on board. Recently, I purchased 2 females and 1 male A. panduro. About 3 days later, the one female killed the male and the other female. I have a 15 gallon tank, with enough hiding places(I think), rocks in the middle that form caves and plants in the front and back to hide.

I have 4 Siamese algae eaters in the tank as well. That is all. What should I do now, as it seems that the remaining aggressive female is chasing the SAEs as well.?
If I decide to get more A. panduro's what should the ratio be of male: female, AND should I keep additional other fish in the tank as well? Maybe other Apistogramma species?

Thanks for your help. Mermaid

 

[ed seeley]

I haven't kept A.panduro, but have kept the closely related A.nijsenni and found them to be very aggressive. I put 4 (2 pairs) in a very heavily planted 40 uk gal tank (36"x18"x18") and they were fighting almost from the start. I did get a very strong pair bond between the dominant male and female, but then had to remove the others. They went on to raise three successful broods. I would imagine that I could have moved the pair into a smaller tank once they were acquainted, but didn't want to risk it. They were also quite intolerant of tetras and other tank mates, even before breeding, they needed the space to get away from the pair.
If this kind of info doesn't apply to A.panduro I'm sure someone who's kept them will say so!

 

[lab]

A. panduro do form bonded pairs as do A. nijsseni. When a bonded pair is formed, you shouldn't have to many aggression issues between the two, but you should move conspecifics. Otherwise they will probably be killed in a tank your size. There isn't room for any other cichlids in a 15 gallon tank either.
I'm not sure about the SAE's ability to predate on apisto fry, but I suspect they are not ideal dithers in that sense.
To be sure to get a bonded pair I would say the odds were good, starting out with one male and two females, but there is no sure thing. If you are lucky, you can sometimes spot a pair at the LFS defending a territory.

Good luck,
Lars