Keeping A. borelli and A. trifasciata

[JK91]

Hey everyone,

After a break of keeping Apistogramma, I started again by keeping a pair of one of the easier species; A. borelli.

They are living peacefully and doing very fine in my Pantanal habitat. Lately I've been thinking about adding a trio of A. trifasciata, but the thing holding me back is that I don't want any of my fish stressed out because of (territorial) aggression.

I know A. trifasciata males can be hard on their females, but what about being aggressive towards other Apisto species? Would they live peacefully or would there be fights? I know it's hard to predict, but I'm sure you guys have a better idea of how things will turn out than I do.

The tank is 120x40x50 or 47x15x19 in inches. It's not a breeding tank. Other fish include Otocinclus sp., Hyphessobrycon elachys, Serrapinnus kriegi, Corydoras hastatus and Hyphessobrycon vilmae. Attached a recent photo of the tank.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mike Wise]

Based on the size and decor of your tank you probably should be OK. Still I personally wouldn't do it. Polygamous trifasciatas are much more aggressive than A. borellii. My question is why, if this isn't intended for breeding, do you put a breeding trio in it?? If I wanted to add another dwarf cichlid to this tank I'd add a couple of male Laetacara dorsigera (also from the same region).

 

[JK91]

Based on the size and decor of your tank you probably should be OK. Still I personally wouldn't do it. Polygamous trifasciatas are much more aggressive than A. borellii. My question is why, if this isn't intended for breeding, do you put a breeding trio in it?? If I wanted to add another dwarf cichlid to this tank I'd add a couple of male Laetacara dorsigera (also from the same region).

Hi Mike,

Thank you for your reply. I want to add A. trifasciata because I think they're great-looking. That and because I lack the number of tanks to keep multiple species.

I actually had a pair of L. dorsigera, but they pushed my A. borelli around with their constant breeding.

If you suggest L. dorsigera instead of A. trifasciata, I'll stray myself of adding a trio of A. trifasciata. I don't want my tank to turn into a warzone.

 

[Mike Wise]

Everyone here know my mantra: a community tank is not a breeding tank. Your problem with L. dorsigera was that you had a breeding pair. Expect the same behavior from A. trifasciata.