Fresh new look, New Apisto. Ag.

[Blackwater]

Just got settled into my new townhouse and revamped my 60gallon into what i wanted my 20gallon to be, A replica blackwater pool. i have flourite substrate with some swords, micro swords and some other bulbuous leafed plant. i have about a dozen Emerald green corydora cats, about 20 ( only asked for 12 at my LFS) Neon tetras, 8 black skirt tetras, 8 serpae tetras and my new addition circa today = a mating pair of Apistogramma Agassizii's. they are still pretty smal, about 1.75 inches male and 1.25 inches female. the are settled into a cave unde a piece of root wood. they are stunning fish and dont act anything like their tankmates. i am very happy with my purchase.
i will be feeding them bloodworms and brine shrimp, but i also feed Hikari Micro pellets and Micro Wafers to the others every other day. i have Ketapang leaves strewn about the bottom of the tank, and i use peat moss and bio media in my fluval 404, i also have a Penguinn Bio wheel ( the big one ) ont he back with a mech/bio filter and the bio wheel. my lighting isnt as great as i thought, im getting a new ficture tomarrow to complement my T5 bulbs.

if you have any suggestions for this Noob, please let me know!

Thanks guys -

Thomas

 

[apistobob]

Sounds like a tank that will give you many hours of pleasure. If you have never kept cichlids you will become captivated by their behaviors.

My only caution would be that the cory cats will likely end up eating any fry produced. If you want to raise any fry produced you must be prepared to move them to a different tank.

Bob

 

[DH247]

Congrats on the setup! I'm also moving into some new digs soon and I can't wait to get my tanks set up and running in the new place. I will say that you are not gonna see many fry (if any) survive your tank. The tetras are incredible fry predators and love the live food. If you want fry to survive you will need to remove them as soon as you can. Once they become free-swimming they are open season. Mom (and probably dad) will try to protect them, but with that many predators the chances will be slim to none.

The apistos exhibit some wonderful characters are a treat to watch. Especially as mum takes care of the fry! In a tank that size you could also fit some more apistos. The females usually need about sq.ft. of territory and the male needs one about 3/4 that size. The females will chase away dad once caring for the spawn.

Welcome to the forum! If you have any questions there is a wealth of knowledge here. Don't be afraid to use the search function either! There are many great threads relating to just about everything apistos and dwarf cichlids here! Cheers

 

[Blackwater]

Update / Question

My Agi's have moved into the area behind my filter intake, which is on the bottom fo the tank and partially hidden by the overflow box i couldnt get out all the way - i hope they dont stay there forever. the mail is finally showing his colors, but the female is very timid and still a bit shocked.

what are some other pretty appistos that may go well in my setup, i know everyone has their own opinion on the matter, but ide like to hear some.

The male in my tank has some beautiful red fins and an almost turqoise metallic strip on his sides. he is very pretty and i hope to get some pics up soon.

also, how long does it take them to fully mature with ideal conditions?

thanks again!

thomas