Apistos in a 10gal?

[JasonC]

Hi All,

I may be able to get my hands on some cheep 10gal aquariums, and our local club may be hosting a speaker that will be bringing a number of Apistos with him (hopefully... no confirmation on this yet). So... was wondering what easier to keep apistos will work in a 10gal setup?

seeing everyone elses huge list of tanks is making me jeallous ;P

Thanks!

 

[henkh]

My personal opinion 10 gal is way to small for apisto's. Just for a little while (quarantaine/juveniles) it's possible, but grown out apisto's need more space.

 

[Mike Wise]

For someone who doesn't have much/any experience with apistos, I would agree with Henkh. Personally, I have successfully bred many different species in 10s, but years of experience - and a willingness to keep a close eye on the fish's behavior and tank maintenance - are important factors in this success. When using 10s, I also lost quite a few more fish than I do when using 15/20H and larger tanks. I suggest using 10s only as a last resort (just like feeding only dry foods to apisto fry).

 

[JasonC]

Mike and Henkh, Points all very well taken. I definitely respect your opinions.. .hence why I asked before acting. Honestly, I was hoping 10's would be doable, because the smaller footprint is easier for the wife to accept when she notices several new tanks show up in the basement ;P

You mentioned 15's and 20 highs... does the comfort on tank size also extend to 20 longs as well? I would imagine these would be that much more favorable because of the increased footprint?

Thanks again for helping me learn more about this addiction

 

[henkh]

Hi Jason, you are right in your last message. The footprint of the tank is in most cases for Apisto's more important than height, which is less important. And yes, you have to be careful introducing new tanks to your wife. I know all aspects, but nowadays i have several tanks in my own fishbarn. She can't hold up anymore

 

[Mike Wise]

Almost all of my breeding aquariums are now 20 Longs or 29 Highs. Apistos are cichlids and behave like your average cichlid. They have minimum territorial requirements.

 

[ApistoNerd23]

What do you guys think about the Mr Aqua 12 Gallon Long? It's 36" x 8" x 9". I have one on my kitchen counter / bar and I could easily see making 3 x 12" territories in it. Still too small for like 2F + 1M?

 

[wethumbs]

I used to breed apistogramma cacatuoides in a 10-gal tank. It has one male and 3 to 4 females. My iniridae as well as borellii and bitaeniata colonies were also house in separate 10 gal. tanks. However, I wouldnt dream of putting anything in the nijsseni group in a 10 gallon tank.

 

[Mike Wise]

What do you guys think about the Mr Aqua 12 Gallon Long? It's 36" x 8" x 9". I have one on my kitchen counter / bar and I could easily see making 3 x 12" territories in it. Still too small for like 2F + 1M?

Never tried anything that size. Just try it and see what happens.