Hello from South California

[What'shatnin]

I'm a look time monsterfish keeper and have gotten played out on larger cichlids. The Apisto's look like a fish I might be interested in keeping. I have a few questions about the breed.

1. I how many can I house in a 90 gallon
2. What spieces would you consider for beginners
3. What Tank mates would you consider

 

[slimbolen99]

Welcome! If your 90 has the same foot print as a 75 (48" x 18"), you have lots of possibilities.

1) do you want them to raise lots of fry?
2) do you want a good community mix?

One of my favorite setups is a 75 with a trio of Apistogramma bitaeniata (1m, 2f); a dozen or so neon tetras (or pencilfish) (will snack on fry, but a few will make it), a dozen or so marble hatchetfish, and some simple plants, with the tank bottom covered with a fine dusting of sand and quite a bit of oak leaves.

I don't like mixing species of apistos -- chance of hybridization and also differing aggression issues.

Good beginner apistos? I consider myself a beginner and I've had good success with wild apistos and domestic apistos. Clean water, a pH around 6 or lower, and mildly warm temps (75-78*F) seem to do best. The key is getting HEALTHY stock and giving them a good variety of foods; frozen bloodworms, frozen brineshrimp, decapsulated BBS, etc. Maybe a flake food mixed in there somewhere.

APISTOS ARE NOT DIFFICULT! Yes, they can be aggressive. When you put a pair in a 10 gallon with no hiding places, one fish will probably kill the other. Your 90 has a lot of room for decoration -- fill it up with driftwood, oak leaves, plants, and you'll be more successful. I like the challenge of having to LOOK for my fish. I stock light, and enjoy them in a more natural setting.

Good luck!

 

[What'shatnin]

Welcome! If your 90 has the same foot print as a 75 (48" x 18"), you have lots of possibilities.

1) do you want them to raise lots of fry?
2) do you want a good community mix?

One of my favorite setups is a 75 with a trio of Apistogramma bitaeniata (1m, 2f); a dozen or so neon tetras (or pencilfish) (will snack on fry, but a few will make it), a dozen or so marble hatchetfish, and some simple plants, with the tank bottom covered with a fine dusting of sand and quite a bit of oak leaves.

I don't like mixing species of apistos -- chance of hybridization and also differing aggression issues.

Good beginner apistos? I consider myself a beginner and I've had good success with wild apistos and domestic apistos. Clean water, a pH around 6 or lower, and mildly warm temps (75-78*F) seem to do best. The key is getting HEALTHY stock and giving them a good variety of foods; frozen bloodworms, frozen brineshrimp, decapsulated BBS, etc. Maybe a flake food mixed in there somewhere.

APISTOS ARE NOT DIFFICULT! Yes, they can be aggressive. When you put a pair in a 10 gallon with no hiding places, one fish will probably kill the other. Your 90 has a lot of room for decoration -- fill it up with driftwood, oak leaves, plants, and you'll be more successful. I like the challenge of having to LOOK for my fish. I stock light, and enjoy them in a more natural setting.

Good luck!

I know that apistos are not common where is a good source to get them from?

 

[slimbolen99]

Here are where I have gotten my wilds from...
http://aquaticclarity.com/fish/
http://www.wetspottropicalfish.com/index.php/fish

There are several others, but these are my favorite. Jeff (from aquaticclarity) is on here frequently and is a top notch guy. He gets the really rare stuff, and has some of the more commons from time to time.

 

[animalmgc]

Welcome from a san diegan I'd add Apistodave@bendcable .com http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/index.php?threads/avail-fish.12753/ Jeff is a great source for wilds http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/index.php?threads/super-sale.13229/#post-71721 I'm thinkin of sellin my A. cinilabra A hippolytae