Multiple Apisto Species

[Matthew Clark]

The majority of the literature I have read suggests that a tank should pretty much be confined to one species of apisto unless it is very large, as the different species will scrap for the same territory. Yet just recently I saw a post here suggesting that in a tank as small as 25 gallons you could keep multiple apisto species. Could you elaborate on this? What are the limits of multiple species tanks? Being constricted by space, I would certainly like to keep as many species as possible. Could you BREED one species of apisto when another is in the tank(as long as they are different complexes and would not hybridize)? What about a species of apisto and some rams in the same tank? Could you breed on or the other even though the other species is in there?

Matthew Clark

 

[farm41]

I've been told it can be done. I'm going to try it in my 60g.

What size tank do you have?

 

[Matthew Clark]

The tank in question is a 29 gallon.

Matthew Clark

 

[DigitalBoy]

Did not really work for me

Hi. I am the owner of a 25 g, and it is a fairly long one. As I said in the other post - the guy at lfs told me not to keep similar species of apistos in such a small space, he adviced to add another male - which was also not a good idea. Anyways, I think 25 or 29 gs is too small for a multiple of apisto's, however you could add more females, I guess.
I think that if your tank is not overstocked and is fairly long >= 80 cm, you could try adding a pair of dwarfs different from your current apistos, such as krib or something. However I do not know if that will work in practice. Just my .02$

Good luck. Please let us know how it went.

 

[Cichlids1]

I've several 15g tanks, most of them have multiple species. The inhabitants of 1 of them has spawning pairs of A. panduro, A. gephyra, and D. filamentosa. A few plants, a couple flower pots, not much else. Not too many viscious squabbles. The ever present chasing and flaring goes on.

Cichlids are competitive and territorial. Give 2 male apistos a 200g tank to themselves, and when they see each other, they will still flare and chase. Some mild aggression, in my opinion, can be positive. It builds stronger pair bonds when the have a common perceived enemy, seems to bring out the best parenting practices, and mine seem to spawn more often. I guess they want to outproduce the opposition.

The only time I seperate them is when there is just contant fin ripping, scales flying, all out battles that go on and on. The last time that happened was with a pair of nasty Nanacara anomala in a 15g with an equally nasty pair of A. panduro. Gave them each different tank mates, who had alread established territories in their tanks, and everyone calmed down and went about their normal business.

 

[DigitalBoy]

What about fry?

What about fry in that kind of setup? Spawning I understand, but will the fry grow and reach adulthood in such a setup?

 

[Cichlids1]

Not in large numbers. Every now and then a few will sneak through and survive to adulthood. Usually, if I have space available, I'll pull the eggs or wigglers before they have a chance to wander off and become lunch.

 

[Eva32181]

I have been asking these same questions myself about mixing apisto species and what size tank and all that. I am planning to do cacatuoides and rams in my 55 gallon plant tank. Hopefully, everyone will get along. If not, I have a 10 gallon set up as a spare.

It sounds to me like fish of the same species can have different personalities, so you just have to play it by ear.

 

[Neil]

In a perfect world, it would be great to use a large tank for each species. However, sometimes it may not be possible or even desireable to use that much space, as Cichlids1 suggests.
I, too have kept 2 species many times in a 15g. with good results. The trick is to make sure you pay close attention to the aggression. As Eva correctly points out, fish are individuals and do not always follow their species traits. Some fish will even be capable to raise quite a few fry under these conditions, but only rarely.
Let me just say, that it is not ridiculous to keep 2 apistogramma species together in a 29g. Nor is it impossible to get fry from them in this set-up. Keep a close eye and determine if it is better to seperate the pairs or transfer the eggs or fry if problems arise.
The spectum of behaviors from this situation can be amazing to observe. 8O
Neil

 

[aspen]

the combinations are endless, and when you take into account the other factors, like age, and who was in the tank first etc etc, most of what is advised is likely going to be a guide only. you never know till you try, and sometimes overstocking multiple fish is even quite nice.

i have had a tank going for over a month now, a 35, with 3 discus, (2 full sized adults and a runt) 2 cacatuoides, 2 rams, 2 viejitas, and some tetras. i thinned out the tetras, but the discus have settled right in as have to other fish, and it seems to be actually working, in an overstocked condition with multiple semi agressive cichlids. i keep the tank real clean with lots of water changes, but it is quite a nice dislpay. i am hoping the discus get in the mood, but other than that, only the cacs have shown any signs along that route. i don't really care if any of these fish breed, it is just a real nice display for now. later is a different story.

rick

 

[jowens]

Aspen - that's an incredible tank you've got. I hope you can keep it going. I've been tempted several times to add discus to my 46-gallon planted tank that features single pairs of rams, cacs, and aggies along with a few tough killfish breeds. To be honest, I've just been too chicken to ad the discus.

Let me know how things hold together. The conditions in my tank are very close to what discus would like (I'd raise the temp maybe 1.5 degrees F, but that's about it). But at the same time, discus are a big responsibility. Fragile, expensive, easily stressed, in need of semi-constant water changes, etc etc etc. And of course, I get worried that I won't get good specimens in the first place!

But like most fishkeepers, I only need to hear one success story to make me want to try it. Keep me posted!