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Apisto's and Discus

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Sooner24

Guest
I have a 60 gallon tank with four adult Discus. I would like to add apisto's to my tank. The tank has plenty of hiding places, is not a bright tank, and is kept up. I use Emperor and TetraTec filtration. And, keep the water right at neutral PH and about 82 degrees.

I would like advise on what kind of success I can expect with this combo. I'm not interested in breeding at this time.

Thanks,
Sooner24
 

Neil

New Member
Messages
1,583
Location
Sacramento, Ca.
Sooner24,
I have always thought that discus can make good tank-mates for apistos. The conditions that are required to maintain discus are basically identical for ideal hubandry of apistos. If your discus are healthy, so to will your Apistogramma.
Apistos are sometimes a little nervous about discus in the tank because of their size, especially at first. But will soon think of them as really big, slow tetras. Unlike Angels, discus will leave even small apisto alone. I have bred several species of apisto in with discus, and although not ideal, it was fine.
This is, however, where you run into some problems. Many discus and apistos will spawn in the conditions that you currently have in your tank.
When a cichlid (in general) spawns, whether or not the eggs even can hatch, they become different animals entirely.
I don't know much about discus, but I have had a pair of A. trifasciata (one of the smaller representatives in the genus) spawn in the same tank with a couple of medium sized discus. The discus, who had intimidated the trifasciata earlier (but just because of size) were now swimming for their lives :lol: . In reality, they were being aggressively chased away from the females territory with extreme predjudice. It was an impressive sight.
So, I guess my point to all of this is that, under the conditions in your tank, even though not ideal for breeding most discus or apistos, is certainly good enough to warrant consideration. They are cichlids. But they do represent, in my mind one of the better cichlid combinations for a soft-water(neutral) tank. And, most importantly, they are both very cool and beautiful fish.
 
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Sooner24

Guest
suggestions of types?

Thanks for the input! My discus are very healthy and tame. I have small numbers of cardinal and rummy nose tetras, and two small corys in this tank as well. My discus are very colorful (while called turquoise, two are turquoise and two predominantly red). While heathly/hardy apistos are my primary goal, I would like the best color combo to showcase my tank. Any suggestions on apisto types?
 
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Tina

Guest
Sounds like many of the apisto species would add complimentary color to your tank. Veijita and Hongsloi have nice reds in the bodies - kind of patchy red. The agassizii and cacautoidies have beautiful reds in their tails and are a bit more flashy. I think it will come down to personal preference of what kind of an effect you want to have in your tank. Borellii are more understated, but have nice blue and yellow hues. Their coloring is very subtle, but elegant. Tranvestitus are striking with their black and white barred bodies and red bellies. Their body style is different and would contrast the roundness of the Discus. Get a hold of some aqualogs. Look at the gallery section here or on other sites. As you look, the ones that you will like best for your tank will jump out at you.

Good luck. Tina
 
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Sooner24

Guest
Thank you for the feed back. I guess my last question would be, how many would you recommend. And, what mix of males and females?
 

Neil

New Member
Messages
1,583
Location
Sacramento, Ca.
Sooner24,
I think I would agree with Tina. Look around and see what you like. That probably is the best way to choose the Dwarfs for your tank, because you will be the one looking at it the most.
I would have groups (1male and 2/3 females) of one or two species. That will give you a chance to see the complex interactions of territoriality, courtship and, possibly breeding and brood-care that take place with cichlids. And since they are Dwarf Cichlids it is likely that the rest of your fish won't be in too much danger. Especially bigger fish like discus.
 
K

Kevin

Guest
Sooner,

My experience is that the two fish (Discus and Apisto's) use the same water conditions but utilize totally different portions of the tank. Lot's of hidey-holes on the bottom of the tank, up the sides of the tank and a lot of tall plants in some section of the tank allows the Apistos sanctuary and the discus will spend their time in the more open water as long as they feel safe. Apistos like water that is lacking current of any kind -- the hidey-holes and plants will minimize the effect of the filters on their behavoir. The two species will hardly interact other than during breeding. If your tank is adequately sized they may not even interact during breeding.

Choose a large species of Apisto because they tend to get lost in large tanks. Cacatuoides (Triple Red or Orange Flash) is a good one and at least one Apisto per square foot of tank bottom will allow you to see some of them all the time.

Kevin
 

jowens

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
88
Location
Boston, MA
Rather than large groups of a single Apisto, I might recommend a few pairs of different Apistos. 1 pair agassizii, 1 pair cacatuoides, etc. Agassizzi males get particularly large (for Apistos), so that could be a good choice.

Sooner24, to address the breeding question, I would simply have a small (2+ gallons) tank on hand in case the Apistos breed. If this happens (you'll know if the female turns a bright, almost neon, yellow), you can either remove the eggs or remove the newborn fry and let them grow in the small tank. You can put the mother with them if you want to see that little show too. By doing this, you dramatically decrease the chances of your discus getting picked on by a pair of billigerent parents. The Apistos will calm down as soon as the babies are out. And as noted above, non-breeding Apistos will likely steer clear of discus.

If your Apistos do breed, you can raise the fry in the grow out tank...and even put a few back in the discus tank after a grow out period. You could also sell babies to the LFS and get a few bucks back for the effort.
 

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