I have a group of 7 i. bimaculata in a 65 gallon aquarium (48 inches long and 16 inches wide). I'm sure i have a pair because they are breeding for the 2nd time (first time the eggs did not appear to hatch); i likely have a 2nd female based on body size and shape and 4 males - the 7th is unknown but probably male. Most of the time the 6 of them stay in a close group (with the 7th a male usually off on his own); during the first and now the 2nd breeding the female requires approx 6 to 12 inches of free space (territory?) using display to warn off the other i. bimaculata - i see very little actual attack - at least compare to normal bickering of the various species of apistogramma i have.
I'll update this thread if i observe a different behavior but in many way they behave very similar to the 5 Krobia xinguensis i have in a 120 with 10 angelfishes (there are two groups breeding and typically one group is laying eggs every 2 weeks); now and then the 5th fish (a large female i think) will steal some frys to raise.
While this might change as the fishes age i would rate them relateively passive - far more passive than angelfishes and Mesonauta festivum i have. Naturally i don't watch them 24/7 esp since they are in the basement but that has been my current observation the past 12 weeks I've had them.
Conversely i'm seeing very little harsh violence with my a. ortegai (they have an identical 65); to my knowledge they have not bred but i think one of the females have laid eggs under a rock (she was yellow and was behaving in a fashion that suggested eggs). The a. ortegai are worse than the i. bimaculata as the male will now and then run across the tank chasing all the females but it appears to be short live and they will dart under a leaf or stick and that is the end of the observe chasing. During the day when not feeding they are frequently hiding under a leaf or similar - so i think i'm causing most of the violence by bringing them out in the open (oddly two of the females seem to frequently hang out together - not sure if this is normal behavior).
--
I do think that having a larger aquarium greatly reduce the aggressiveness of the fishes. I still have some pairs in 29 which is a bit narrow but the ones htat have been put in larger aquariums (40, 65, 180) have had significantly reduced level of observed aggression.
I'll update this thread if i observe a different behavior but in many way they behave very similar to the 5 Krobia xinguensis i have in a 120 with 10 angelfishes (there are two groups breeding and typically one group is laying eggs every 2 weeks); now and then the 5th fish (a large female i think) will steal some frys to raise.
While this might change as the fishes age i would rate them relateively passive - far more passive than angelfishes and Mesonauta festivum i have. Naturally i don't watch them 24/7 esp since they are in the basement but that has been my current observation the past 12 weeks I've had them.
Conversely i'm seeing very little harsh violence with my a. ortegai (they have an identical 65); to my knowledge they have not bred but i think one of the females have laid eggs under a rock (she was yellow and was behaving in a fashion that suggested eggs). The a. ortegai are worse than the i. bimaculata as the male will now and then run across the tank chasing all the females but it appears to be short live and they will dart under a leaf or stick and that is the end of the observe chasing. During the day when not feeding they are frequently hiding under a leaf or similar - so i think i'm causing most of the violence by bringing them out in the open (oddly two of the females seem to frequently hang out together - not sure if this is normal behavior).
--
I do think that having a larger aquarium greatly reduce the aggressiveness of the fishes. I still have some pairs in 29 which is a bit narrow but the ones htat have been put in larger aquariums (40, 65, 180) have had significantly reduced level of observed aggression.
