Incas compatibility...

[drudnick]

I just bought a pair of 2nd generation Incas. Guy originally said he had no males for sale so I didnt plan to buy, but when I went back I was chcking out the tank of females for sale and I found a male in there. Hoping he wouldnt notice I showed him which one I wanted. Expecting him to say the male wasnt for sale once he noticed I got discouraged, but he sold me a pair anyways. I saw the wild caught father and he is gorgeous. Anyways I was wondering if these little guys are compatible with other apistos, or if I should keep them seperate. I almost found out the hard way that they shouldnt be kept with my triple red, as the triple red just about had the males whole head in his mouth. I have triple reds, bitas, a tri (but hes in with triple red), and a single male panduro. Wasnt sure if they could go in with panduro or not. Figuring no, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Dave

 

[Mike Wise]

Unless you have a very large (at least 55 gallon or 1 meter), complexly decorated, tank, I would not put any nijsseni-group species with any other. Species of the nijsseni-group (like A. baenschi) form bonded pairs that can wreak havoc on other apistos. "Two against one is never fun!"

Personally, if I were you, I would run down to the LFS and buy 2 more females. The fish can be choosey about mates and any female not to the male's liking is ignored, at best, or killed. Let the male do the choosing of mates. The nice thing about this group of species is that once the pair is mated, they can usually be kept and bred in much smaller tanks.

 

[drudnick]

Normally I would do that. But at 20 bucks a piece that hurts...lol If I could get a refund other than store credit I would be all over it. But I dont normally buy my fish there anymore. Almost strictly online now. But I went in there yesterday to look and they had these in. They came from a local guy a couple weeks prior. They are definitely feeling each other out right now. They flare gills at each other and wiggle. But other times they hang out together in the pot. He was only male in the tank with about 15-20 females. Manager didnt even realize a male slipped in there, or he probably wouldnt have been available for sale.

 

[Mike Wise]

Well, at least you have a 50/50 chance of getting a breeding pair.

 

[drudnick]

Well my male is definitely interested in the female. Just need to hope the female likes the male. Hes showing off constantly for her. She still running, but I am keeping fingers crossed she comes around.

 

[Mike Wise]

This is a good sign. At least she is not hiding in a top corner of a tank with shredded fins.