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Help me to choose between few apistogrammas

Vlac

New Member
Messages
7
Hello !
I have a tank running since 6 month, it's a 80 gallon = 300L, I want to get some apistogrammas but it is hard for me to choose and to find reliable informations about them, I don't want to make a bad choise.
I am using a part or RO water so my parameters are 5 GH 180PPM, I don't mesure my pH i have some wood and leaves, so its is probably a round 6,5 but not more acidic.
In the tank I'm having 16 corydoras panda, 10 tetra amandae (I'm tryin gto breed them to have a bigger group).
Actually in the winter the tank is between 22-23°C (71,6°F to 73,3°F), in the summer it around 26°C (79°F).
In term of fish, I tend to like "small fish" (5cm or 2 inches and not much more). I prefer hardy healthy fish compare to wonderfull colorfull ones but with regulary health problems.
I have some good experience in fish tanks, my maintenance is good and the water parameters will stand still.

I can find in my areas differents apistogramma :
  1. Apistogramma bitaeniata, I'm affraid they won't like my hardness of 180ppm, is it too hard for them?
  2. Apistogramma hongsloi, are they ok with the winter around 22-23°C (71,6°F to 73,3°F)?
  3. Apistogramma trifasciata, same question re they ok with the winter around 22-23°C (71,6°F to 73,3°F)?
  4. Apistogramma borelli, them seems perfect for my parameters, I am not superfan of their look, but if they are the best for me so be it.

Thanks you for you advises !! cheers.
20221017_201938.jpg
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,958
Location
Germany
I am using a part or RO water so my parameters are 5 GH 180PPM, I don't mesure my pH i have some wood and leaves, so its is probably a round 6,5 but not more acidic.
KH would be the decisive value to tell pH, not GH. 5°GH is ok for all the species on your list.
In term of fish, I tend to like "small fish" (5cm or 2 inches and not much more). I prefer hardy healthy fish compare to wonderfull colorfull ones but with regulary health problems.
Then go A. borellii. Hands down.
Apistogramma bitaeniata, I'm affraid they won't like my hardness of 180ppm, is it too hard for them?
As said above the GH is not as important. They are out due to the temperature and the structure in my opinion.
Apistogramma hongsloi, are they ok with the winter around 22-23°C (71,6°F to 73,3°F)?
Due to a heater "malfunction" (forgott to replug after a waterchange) I had the temperature drop to 22°C. They didn't die, but they definitely didn't do well with it. I'd keep them at 24/25°C constant. The structure is also rather unfitting.
Apistogramma trifasciata, same question re they ok with the winter around 22-23°C (71,6°F to 73,3°F)?
I won't swear by it, but considering their habitat overlaps with A. borellii this is within the realm of the likely.
Apistogramma borelli, them seems perfect for my parameters, I am not superfan of their look, but if they are the best for me so be it.
As I said, I would recommend them.

You have made some controversial decisions concerning structure and other species. The first is the big open area. A male A. hongsloi or A. bitaeniata may take the whole area front and back as its territory. Then there is no real space to hide for a female. I'm not as familiar with the temperament of A. trifasciata, but assume the same for them. A. borellii instead are the saftest bet if the structure is not designed for territorial fish.
The combination with Corydoras is only recommendable in bigger tanks (check? Dimensions of the tank?), as in case of breeding action among the cichlids they can become a big stress factor, burning out female Apistos quite quickly.

Although, this tank is not suitabe for breeding anything. (Keep that in mind with the tetras.) If any, a single male fish and no females would probably the easiest and least problem prone choice anyway.
 

christian62

New Member
Messages
15
Bonjour.
Etant donné que tu as une grande surface au sol, je mettrai 2couples
Un couple d''Apistogramma Honsgloi
Un couple d'Apistogramma trifasciata
Tu peux mettre ces couples car ce sont des espèces qui n'ont pas la même forme et les mêmes couleurs, donc pas d'animosité entre eux, par contre il faudra mettre plus de cachettes et de plantes.
Un Apistogramma peut supporter facilement une température entre 18 et 22° et cela en serai mieux car plus la température du bac est haute plus la durée de vie du poisson diminue.


English translation:

Hello.
Since you have a large floor area, I would add 2 couples
A couple of Apistogramma Honsgloi
A couple of Apistogramma trifasciata
You can put these couples because they are species that do not have the same shape and the same colors, so no animosity between them, on the other hand it will be necessary to put more hiding places and plants.
An Apistogramma can easily withstand a temperature between 18 and 22° and it will be better because the higher the temperature of the tank, the more the life of the fish decreases.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
I will only add my own opinion. Breeding apistos and corys, like MacZ states, are not a good combination. Corys will barge in anywhere they please and bother brooding apisto females. Reports of eyes being lost on corys from apistos are known. Personally I would just add 1 showy male apisto to the community since the lay-out of the tank only has 1 cichlid territory.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
I'm not as familiar with the temperament of A. trifasciata, but assume the same for them.
They are <"really aggressive">.
The first is the big open area. A male A. hongsloi or A. bitaeniata may take the whole area front and back as its territory. Then there is no real space to hide for a female.
Same for me, much too open.
The combination with Corydoras is only recommendable in bigger tanks
Same for me again.

cheers Darrel
 

Vlac

New Member
Messages
7
Thank you very much for all your answers !!!



My KH is 3, GH 5.



Indeed I talked about breeding my Tetra without more details so it misled you. But yes of course I do not breed my fish in this tank. I have specific separate tanks for breeding, I collect the Cory eggs on a mop for example to transfer them to another tank. For the Tetra I am currently trying to spawn them separately.



I will indeed be interested in breeding this pair of apistogramma, but not in this big tank. If they start to Spawn Somewhere

If they start to spawn somewhere, I will be able to rearange the area with a bamboo stick or a coconut ?? to hide them from other fishes movements.



I'm sorry but I did not understand why the open area was a problem? I understood that the apistogramma like to take shelter, the shaded area, caves etc.. I have a lot of nooks and crannies with big rocks and branches that cut off the view effectively, I imagine them settling near that instead. But maybe I'm wrong.



This tank is 115 by 50cm, 45 by 20 inches.



From the point of view of size, temperature and aggressiveness, your answers seem to coincide well with what I read about the Borelli.



Here's a picture of the Cory babies. They won't go in the big tank because they will be impossible to caches and i don't want so much of them.
 

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anewbie

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,366
Hiding them after they spawn doesn't seem like they would work; and the disruption might result in them eating the eggs - you should put them in a 20long if you intend to breed them. As for you water you didn't give the tds but i think it is borderline for the mentioned species 'cept borelli which should breed easily. If your tds is below 100 the hongsloi might successfully hatch eggs. I don't know about trifasciata as i've never owned them or try to breed them. I'm pretty sure bitaeniata need near blackwater condition to breed successfully.
-
 

Vlac

New Member
Messages
7
Hiding them after they spawn doesn't seem like they would work; and the disruption might result in them eating the eggs - you should put them in a 20long if you intend to breed them. As for you water you didn't give the tds but i think it is borderline for the mentioned species 'cept borelli which should breed easily. If your tds is below 100 the hongsloi might successfully hatch eggs. I don't know about trifasciata as i've never owned them or try to breed them. I'm pretty sure bitaeniata need near blackwater condition to breed successfully.
-
Thanks fot your answer. That confirm Borelli are the best for me.

For my conductivity I wrote it previously but, my mistake, not the with the good unit. My TDS is 180 µS, and not 180 ppm as I wrote.

Do you think the best will be 1 male and 1 female in the tank, or 2 females?
I saw in a quite reliable French website about the Borelli that : "In all cases, it is essential to keep a male with several females: a single female ends up succumbing to the harassment of the male..." that seems kinda strange to me.
In a 80 gallons = 300L, I don't know if it's going to be true. What will be the best to have the less agressivity possible between them ?
 

anewbie

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,366
As to how many females depend strongly with the species; i find borelli does not harass so much; though the female might take a good bite out of the male once she has eggs so having places for the male to hide is important. I think either one or two female is fine in 80 gallons (the actual gallons isn't that important but ground area - tall tanks are not that useful for most species of apistogramma or dwarf cichild in general.
 

Vlac

New Member
Messages
7
So do you think in my case the best is to get a couple or a trio of Borelli ?
My goal is not specifically to breed, and if I do it, it's gonna be another specific tank.
In this big tank my goal is to keep them with the less agressivity possible between them.
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,958
Location
Germany
So do you think in my case the best is to get a couple or a trio of Borelli ?
My goal is not specifically to breed, and if I do it, it's gonna be another specific tank.
In this big tank my goal is to keep them with the less agressivity possible between them.
Well, the quote from the website is for sure concerning tanks of a footprint of 60x30 or 80x40 cm. So ignore that.
BUT, as I said above, the structure is less than fitting, even for such a docile species as A. borellii. As you don't want to breed I'd probably toss the idea of a pair or a trio completely, adding a single specimen of any species and be done. So I stick with my recommendation from my first post in this thread.
 

Samson&Delilah

New Member
Messages
4
Bonjour.
Etant donné que tu as une grande surface au sol, je mettrai 2couples
Un couple d''Apistogramma Honsgloi
Un couple d'Apistogramma trifasciata
Tu peux mettre ces couples car ce sont des espèces qui n'ont pas la même forme et les mêmes couleurs, donc pas d'animosité entre eux, par contre il faudra mettre plus de cachettes et de plantes.
Un Apistogramma peut supporter facilement une température entre 18 et 22° et cela en serai mieux car plus la température du bac est haute plus la durée de vie du poisson diminue.


English translation:

Hello.
Since you have a large floor area, I would add 2 couples
A couple of Apistogramma Honsgloi
A couple of Apistogramma trifasciata
You can put these couples because they are species that do not have the same shape and the same colors, so no animosity between them, on the other hand it will be necessary to put more hiding places and plants.
An Apistogramma can easily withstand a temperature between 18 and 22° and it will be better because the higher the temperature of the tank, the more the life of the fish decreases.
This is really bad advice, you should not have two male apistos in one tank and for both trifasciata and hongsloi you’d need a group of females per male and lots of cover. I agree that borellii are your best option
 

christian62

New Member
Messages
15
Je vous signale simplement que c'est un bac d'ensemble, donc pas réalisé pour la reproduction, avec des poissons comme tétra ou autres vivant en banc et avec quelque des cachettes de plus, cela fera disparaitre l'animosité entre eux.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
It is possible to have 2 breeding pairs/trio of apistos in a large aquarium but only if it is properly laid out. Yours, presently, is not. Also the winter temperature is probably dangerously low for A. hongsloi.

As I have said many times, a community tank is not a breeding tank. One needs to decide what they want most.
 

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