New to apistos

[MicNanDec]

Hi everyone I just joined the forum,
This site was recommended to me by 2la and I'm happy to learn about my new fish. Just recently I purchased a pair of A. borellii from a fish auction. This fish was recommended to me by several people as a good community cichlid for my 10gal. The tank houses 1 dwarf gourami, 5 rasbora hengelii, 4 cories (mostly babies), 4 shrimp and 2 otos plus the 2 new apistos. There are also a whole bunch of snails in the tank. The tank is well-planted, but unfortunately I had all my crypts melt so the tank is looking sparse.
I have a few simple questions to help make this the best home for my new fish.
1) While I wait for the crypts to grow back this gives me a chance to redecorate. Do the apistos need anything in particular such as cave or certain type of plant? I noticed the female spends all her time in a tank ornament. This ornament was previously the "shrimp home" before she commandeered it. Do they like a particular type of cave?
2) in regards to food: what is the best thing to feed them? I've been feeding them the regular staple food I have, which is a pellet food and they seemed to nibble on the frozen bloodworms. Just wondering if there is something specific they should have in their diet regularly.

I think that's it for now. I'm sorry that these are really beginner questions. I was also just posting to say "hi." I really like these little guys and the day I saw them was the first time I ever saw apistos "in person" as the african rift species are all I ever saw. Anywho, thanks!
-Michelle

 

[MaryPa]

I`m afraid your tank is terrible over crowded.Apistogrammas are shy fish and won`t fight for their food :? The need a well planted tank and a cave to nest in.The apistos would do ok in aa 10 gal. by themselves or with just a couple dither fish.They prfer live food such as worms and baby brime shrimp.Please give them their own tank :cry:

 

[Neil]

MicNanDec,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Way to go, 2la!

I tend to agree with MaryPa. Apistos will tend to be more comfortable with a few tankmates, but not alot in small quarters. There are 2 big concerns here beside food. First, if they breed, they will unlikely be able to defend their fry for long with that many other fish in the tank. Second, the water quality is of paramount importance in an apisto tank. It is much more difficult to keep clean (lower nitrates) in a tank with so many fish eating and producing waste. You can get around all three of these problems, but it is much more work to do so than having a few dither fish, one or 2 corys and otos and a pair of apistos in your tank.

1) While I wait for the crypts to grow back this gives me a chance to redecorate. Do the apistos need anything in particular such as cave or certain type of plant? I noticed the female spends all her time in a tank ornament. This ornament was previously the "shrimp home" before she commandeered it. Do they like a particular type of cave?

Pretty much any cave will do, but I have found that a small clay pot works OK. Even better is the saucer that it comes with turned upside down and a hole just big enough for the female to fit through is my favorite.

2) in regards to food: what is the best thing to feed them? I've been feeding them the regular staple food I have, which is a pellet food and they seemed to nibble on the frozen bloodworms. Just wondering if there is something specific they should have in their diet regularly.

It is good to vary their diet. If you have access to live foods, that is great, but frozen bloodworms, daphnia, mysis, vit. enriched BS, etc. is really good. Flake and pellet is OK but most apistos don't care much for those foods, so it is hard to get them to eat enough to really maintain them correctly. Live baby brine shrimp is also a great food and can be done yourself. It may benefit you to try that because once you get a spawn that will become the food of choice for your fry.

I'm sorry that these are really beginner questions. I was also just posting to say "hi." I really like these little guys...

Hi back to you. No problem about the questions. They are questions that many can benefit and all of us had to ask at one time or another. We all really like these little guys too, so you fit in well here.
Good luck with your new fish.
Neil

 

[cootwarm]

Hi Michelle,

Here is a post with many cave suggestions that I got when I asked about them:
http://forum.apistogramma.com/viewtopic.php?t=1400&sid=57eb9a5606268e8ec42902d5d15126c1

Lots of neat ideas.

Michael

 

[MicNanDec]

Thank you for the advice. Unfortunately the only other tank they can go in houses guppies, and I know those two just won't mix. I've never had problems with nitrates, this is a pretty well established tank. The reason for the crypt melt is because I moved the tank from one end of the room to another. I'll just up my water changes until I can figure out where to move everyone. I always keep frozen foods on hand.

 

[Neil]

Unfortunately the only other tank they can go in houses guppies, and I know those two just won't mix.

Why? If you don't mind the possibility of some of the guppy fry getting picked off, there should be no problem. But that is just as likely with the guppys themselves than with apistos.