dwarf cichlids in 190L aquarium

[shaun64326]

Hello

I was wondering how much dwarf cichlids, particuly apistos, I could keep and breed in a 190L (50G) aquarium (120cm long, 35cm wide, 45cm high) which is moderatly planted with several clay caves hidden amongst the driftwood plants and rocks. I have been keeping fish for about a year and in this aquarium I keep;

9 cardinal tetras (will soon be 11)
A pair of dwarf gouramis (M, F)
A bristlenose pleco
A trio of bronze corys
A pair of bolivian rams
I also plan on adding 4 otos

I like the following species of apistos;

Apistogramma cacatuoides
Apistogramma agassizii
Apistogramma nijsseni
Apistogramma gephyra
Apistogramma trifasciata

Obviously I would not be able to keep pairs or harems of every one of these species. So how much pairs or harems could I sustainably keep in this sized aquarium? I put the fish in this list in an order of my likeingness, so the one I like the most is at the very top, the 2nd most, second from the top etc etc.

My water conditions are as follows;

pH- 7.4
kH- 3dkH
gH- 4dgH
temp.- around 27C
ammonia- 0ppm
nitrite- 0ppm
nitrate 0ppm

Thank you for your help
from Shaun

 

[fishgeek]

i would suggest that 2 male territory's could be accomadated in your tank

you would want to scape so that lines of sight along the tank are not possibly for the whole length and provide multiple small cave like area's for fish to retreat to

within each male territory you should be able to accomadate 2 female fish
this owuld depend on the fish you choose
the cacatoides aggies and trifasciata would all be ok in trio's or harems
the panduro would be best in pairs and may not be the best fish to try and mix with others as they can be more aggressive
i am unsure on the gephyra

your prefered two are liklely to be easier to keep and more readily available so are probably a good starting point

andrew