Hello from the Netherlands

[Jack Sparrow]

Hello!
The name is Jack and from NL.

A few months ago I've started my new tank(140x60x60)
The tank has the following residents swimming:
- 16 Nannostomus Eques
- 5 Laetacara Curviceps
- 1 Peckoltia Compta

From what I've found on the internet, all these fish can be found in the Rio Tapajos.
My idea to add in the future:
A. Agassizii or Dicrossus Maculatus.
As for the Agassizii.. I want the "normal" one Not with all those double/triple red variations.
First I want to see how evertything goes with the Curviceps

My tank:

 

[MacZ]

Goededag en welkom op de site!

Nice looking tank, I myself keep Dicrossus filamentosus with Nannostomus eques.

Maybe some remarks:
Be it Apistogramma or Dicrossus, you should definitely add a lot of leaf litter.

Especially for Dicrossus. I find their relationship with leaf litter is fascinating. I have covered basically all of my tanks sand areas with a layer of leaves. in some places it already has build up 2-3 centimeters of mulm.
My experience with Dicrossus is that the males tend to be a bit more aggressive on each other than many Apistogramma. On the other hand the, females are pretty much fine with each other as a group. So you should only get one male.

And maybe close the lines of sight in the front if you decide for the Apistogramma. Too much open space. Or you decide to get a bachelor group and no females, then maybe 1-2 well chosen pieces of driftwood and you're done. If you want females... this will not sufficeCan you look through under the tree trunk? If so, for A. agassizii you would have to close those.

Now the problem with the other fish is just one: The pleco. Those tend to be active at night, dwarf cichlids are strictly diurnal, so the catfish might spook them, and finding a stressed out cichlid pumping its gills, pale as a ghost, at the surface in the morning... a sight you will want to avoid.

As for the Agassizii.. I want the "normal" one Not with all those double/triple red variations.

Very good decision! Wish more people would think that way.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Thanks MacZ!

I had some birch and catappa leaves in it. Cleaning the sand bottom becomes a "struggle" with all those leaves and alder cones. Since my tank and filter is running since march, I expect the bacteria in my filter and sand bottom can't handle alot of hidden dirt/rotten food. Maybe I have to wait until everything is more mature in 4-5 months..

The middle part needs a breaking point indeed, I need to find a good piece... I am not easily satisfied, so this will take some time
The trunk has in de middle a passway and at both bottom sides it's closed by rocks and sand, but it has alot of hiding places around the roots and such.

so the catfish might spook them

I didn't think about that actually, but I will try to check my tank more often in the morning how this goes.


Within a few months I can see how things working out with the Curviceps(couples or not) and decide wich fish(apisto or dicrossus) Im gonna add more, and if they are available.

 

[Mike Wise]

I will not discuss mixing cichlids. It has been discussed many times before. As for 'normal' A. agassizii, the forms/species from the Rio Tapajos, A. sp. aff. agassizii (Itaituba), A. sp. aff. agassizii (Rio Tapajos), A. sp. aff. agassizii (Rotrücken/Red-back), are not commonly imported. Unlike the holotype forms from the Rio Solimões of Brazil and upstream in Colombia and Peru,the Tapajos forms belong to the A.-agassizii-Broad-Black-Caudal-Seam-Subcomplex and are visually different. I don't know if this matters to you or not.

 

[MacZ]

I had some birch and catappa leaves in it. Cleaning the sand bottom becomes a "struggle" with all those leaves and alder cones. Since my tank and filter is running since march, I expect the bacteria in my filter and sand bottom can't handle alot of hidden dirt/rotten food. Maybe I have to wait until everything is more mature in 4-5 months..

You are not supposed to clean away the leaves. Leave it to rot down to mulm. A healthy layer of mulm is essential in a well seasoned tank for dwarf cichlids. It does also take care of food leftovers (which should be kept low by feeding small portions) and fecies (which are also kept within an easy to handle frame by small amounts of food).

The trunk has in de middle a passway and at both bottom sides it's closed by rocks and sand, but it has alot of hiding places around the roots and such.

Forget "hiding places" the fish have to be able to evade and hide from each other. If a dominant fish can look under or around a piece of wood and see others, it is not going to work.

I didn't think about that actually, but I will try to check my tank more often in the morning how this goes.

Laetacara are robust enough. But Dicrossus will be stressed out easily, A. agassizii are somewhere in the middle. If you decide for one of those, remove the pleco.

Within a few months I can see how things working out with the Curviceps(couples or not) and decide wich fish(apisto or dicrossus) Im gonna add more, and if they are available.

Wait, I thought you were thinking about REPLACING the Laetacara. Dicrossus won't be able to stand their ground against them in terms of food competition. A small specimen of a female (2-3cm) may even end up a snack for a big Laetacara male. And A. agassizii are also rather not a good combination with Laetacara.
Often people think combining fish from the same habitat will work. Well... in theory. But there is one factor most ignore: A fish tank has limited space and is not always representing all the parts of the habitat.
I'd decide and settle for one species of cichlid.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

I will not discuss mixing cichlids. It has been discussed many times before.

I saw a few topics here about it indeed, and from what I remembered I thought it was mixing Apistogramma's
First time I have smaller(dwarf) cichlids, so this is good information for me, and the residents in my tank.

You are not supposed to clean away the leaves. Leave it to rot down to mulm. A healthy layer of mulm is essential in a well seasoned tank for dwarf cichlids

For future notice: this works better when you have a filter runs for atleast 6 months orso?

I'd decide and settle for one species of cichlid.

I have allready chosen for the Curviceps. Bring back fish to the store is not how I keep animals, I have to adjust my choices.
So my decision is to get another tank in the future because there are too many biotopes and scapes I like

 

[MacZ]

For future notice: this works better when you have a filter runs for atleast 6 months orso?

Makes no difference.

Many dwarf cichlids just prefer substrate like this:

Leaf litter is an important part of their ecology.

I have allready chosen for the Curviceps. Bring back fish to the store is not how I keep animals, I have to adjust my choices.
So my decision is to get another tank in the future because there are too many biotopes and scapes I like

Ah, I see we tick similarly. I would also not just return fish, except if it is the only option. You just get used to people doing it and accept that practice on the internet. Also much too often I have to actually ask people to return fish for their own good, because they chose a fish that outgrows the tank or other stocking mistakes and they were unable to procide another tank.
And yes, it's worth doing a second tank if that's a viable option.