New tank, how many apistos?

[Vetekli]

Hi! Im getting a new tank that i plan to move my Agazzisi pair to. Im wondering IF i can add more apistos. Tank dimensions is 120x35x35 cm and i plan to create 4 territories 30x35cm each using plants etc. Each with one cave. How many apistos can i add? I was thinking at least my agazzisi pair and one pair niasenji (panda). I have pretty hard water so i might have to get a RO device.

 

[Mike Wise]

Is this for breeding or a community? Numbers will vary. You should be able to keep a trio of aggies + a pair of A. nijsseni if properly decorated. Personally, if for breeding, I would add only a harem of aggies (1 male, 3 or 4 females).

 

[Vetekli]

Well, it would be fun if they had fry but its not the main goal for me. I want them to have a chance though. But it will be community, im considering adding about 10 dwarf pencilfish and 8 otos as mates (will otos eat eggs?) How do these different species of apisto get along? If you have any other advice on species that would work well with aggies i would appreciate it. By the way, you say trio of aggies, do they need to live in harems?

 

[Mike Wise]

If I were making it an apisto oriented community, I'd only keep males. 5 or 6 with suitable territories for each. They would display without much damage to each other. With them, I'd add 2 or 3 schools (6 - 10 depending on size) of tetras or something like that.

If you want to keep apistos in pairs, then 2 different species would be all I would be comfortable with. A. nijsseni tend to be more monogamous during a breeding cycle and tend to remain together for at least a short time while the fry are developing. Getting a compatible pair of A. nijsseni can problematic if only buying 2 fish. They can be quite choosy about mates and one often drives away (or worse, kills) its potential mate in hopes of finding a more compatible partner. A. agassizii, on the other hand, is a polygamous species. Males with only 1 female can drive her crazy trying to get her to breed when she is not ready. For such species it's better spread the male's ardor between 2 or more species.

Otos are usually safe because, if given a chance, they stay above the bottom.