Howdy

[Voozle]

Hello! I've made my way over from a couple of planted aquarium forums, and in visiting this community I hope to hone my uneducated interest in dwarf cichlids. I've been keeping freshwater fish for almost two years, and I consider aquatic plants essential to any setup. Last summer I was fortunate to observe my Pelvicachromis pulcher pair breed and raise almost four dozen young. Easily my most memorable experience so far, and (perhaps arrogantly, as I had little to do with the parents' success) my proudest achievement, the spawning prompted my journey here. It also contributed to my waning enthusiasm for precision 'aquascaping' and my growing aspirations for further breeding experience.

Currently, I am working to prepare a 20L in hopes of housing another dwarf cichlid pair. The tank was recently upgraded from a 10 gallon and should be fully cycled, so I hope to begin stocking soon. I look forward to learning what I can on these boards about Apistogramma cichlids, and to making the acquaintance of other dedicated hobbyists. Nice to meet you all!

Oh! I'm excited to see that these forum boards are run by Ted Judy, one of few names I recognize in the hobby. Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine has guided and inspired me - and many others, I'm sure - during my venture into the fishkeeping, and his (or your, if reading this) articles and more recently breeding contest are my among favorite installments. The article "Five 'Easy' Tetras" in the August 2009 issue, specifically, sparked my interest in breeding, although my own endeavors with tetras did not amount to much.

 

[briztoon]

Welcome to the forum Voozle.

If you're interested in breeding apistogramma, I'd suggest starting with one of the line bred cacatuoides varieties. They are a good, easy to breed apistogramma. I quite like the "orange flash" variant, but have a passionate dislike for the "double red" and "tripple red" variants.

Another nice looking, and easy to breed, dwarf cichlid is the red breasted dwarf acara, Laetacara dorsigera.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Welcome to the forums!

I'm sure you will be able to MORE advice and answers to your question here then you could ever want :biggrin: But that's what fish keeping is all about-getting answers to your questions, sharing your experiences, and making new friends along the way.

Jeff

 

[tjudy]

Wow! Thank you for the knd words. I am glad you are motivated to breed fish. Do not give up on the tetras. Once you figure them out they are a lot of fun to work with.

 

[Voozle]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

briztoon, Laetacara dorsigera is certainly an interesting fish I hadn't seen before; the colors remind me a little of kribensis. As far as Apistogramma, I seem to have fallen in love with several A. viejita color variants, although as I understand it I'm more likely to find A. macmasteri if I go in search of any of them. Ultimately, the dwarf cichlids I bring home will depend on local availability, although I appreciate suggestions. I'm not willing to pay to ship fish at this stage.

tjudy, I didn't give up on the tetras, they gave up on me. I'm having trouble obtaining disease-free stock locally. I've never had such poor success keeping fish alive, despite my greatest effort to provide a suitable environment, and at least for now I'm put off. And I will not be buying my cichlids from any of the local stores where I purchased glowlight tetras.

 

[Hassles]

Welcome to the forum Voozle.

If you're interested in breeding apistogramma, I'd suggest starting with one of the line bred cacatuoides varieties. They are a good, easy to breed apistogramma. I quite like the "orange flash" variant, but have a passionate dislike for the "double red" and "tripple red" variants.

Another nice looking, and easy to breed, dwarf cichlid is the red breasted dwarf acara, Laetacara dorsigera.

well thats very interesting. I have had seemingly endless spawns from double and triple red cacatuoides but have experienced nothing but failure with the orange-flash AS has two friends of mine. To be honest, I was about to rid my fish-room of cacatuoides until I encountered a triple red male who was so gorgeous that I decided to give this specie a reprieve. Cacatuoides may be common but they're common because they are popular and they are easily kept and they are a very very nice Apistogramma. I am off-loading the last of the triple reds to make way for more rewarding (difficult) species but....if I had endless tank space I would keep them.

 

[Hassles]

Currently, I am working to prepare a 20L in hopes of housing another dwarf cichlid pair.

Perhaps give the other kribensis a go seeing you like them. Perhaps try any of the other West African dwarf cichlids....

Nanochromis parilus / transvestitus

Pelvicachromis / roloffi / subocellatus / taeniatus...

...before considering the dwarfs from South Amercia. I love the West African's but Apistos are my addiction

 

[briztoon]

Hey Hassles,

You may be right about the orange flash. I have never kept cacatuoides before, as I've never seen any that I really like. I seem to have a particular addiction for apistos from the agassizii group.

Jodi-Lea recently brought in some orange flash with her last shipment and I actually liked the looked of them. So I bought a trio for my small planted display tank. I had to waite a week for my next rdo before I could pick up my trio. Both females spawned while in the store, one female lost her eggs to the tetras in its tank, but the other female had a small clutch of free swimming fry its tank.

Hopefully they will spawn again in thier new home. They shouldn't have any problems protecting eggs or fry as thier only tank mates are otocinclus, marbled hatchetfish and riffle shrimp.

 

[Voozle]

Just brought home a pair of A. cacatuoides 'triple red' from a local breeder who specializes in South American cichlids. His fish room was extremely impressive, and while I'm disappointed his beautiful A. viejita 'gold' and A. macmasteri hadn't spawned recently, I'm pleased with what I got. The 'orange flash' variant was also available from the same spawn.