New to apistos

[Bobblehead27]

Hi everyone I have been cycling my 50 gal tank (36x18) and would like to do a dwarf cichlid/community tank. I would really like to have at least two different breeding harems/pairs (dependent on the species obviously) of dwarf cichlids along with a school of zebra danios and perhaps kuhli loaches and ottos as clean up crew. I have heard that there are very few apistos you can mix without altercations but never heard what types. I was going to do ram pair and apisto but heard Rams are horrible when breeding. I'm just curious what my options are. I'm partial to the "prettier fish" haha like baenschi and agazissi and cacatuoides. (Especially the baenschi because the females aren't so bland. They have that nice bumblebee kinda thing going on.)But know these don't mix well together. Any good looking dwarf pairs that I could put in with a harem of baenschi? (Doesn't have to be apisto)

 

[Mike Wise]

A community tank is not a breeding tank. You need to decide what you want most.

 

[Bobblehead27]

The fry don't necessarily have to survive to adulthood. I've had African cichlid breeding groups in a "community" I mean a community of all African cichlids. Like no tetras or anything but still figured dwarfs were far less aggressive than mbuna. If the fry survive then great but if not survival of the fittest. Free food for my fish I guess. Is this not possible in this size tank?

 

[Mike Wise]

Mbunas are very different from SA dwarf cichlids not only in behavior but breeding. Still, cichlids are cichlids and all bottom oriented species are territorial. If you're more interested in having a community tank and less with survival of the fry, then I'd suggest that you pick an apisto that is visually different from your A. baenschi. As for a harem of this species, you might lose all but a pair. Being a nijsseni-group species, A. baenschi males tend to bond with a single female and then the pair drive out or kill any others. On the other hand males sometimes become polygamous in tanks.

 

[Bobblehead27]

Thank you for your advice. Are there any groups that you would suggest as visually different and behaviorally somewhat compatible with baenschi. And oh everything I've read online suggests more females than males is the preferred ratio. Like I said tho. I have never had any apistos much less baenschi so idk

 

[Mike Wise]

There are 350+ species/distinct forms of Apistogramma presently known. One size doesn't fit all. You should expect some variation in behavior. Species of the pertensis- and iniridae-groups tend to be preferentially monogamous, while species of the nijsseni, atahualpa, and norberti-groups are less so. Species of the regani-group tend to be casually polygamous if given the oportunity, while most other species, like those in the agassizii-, bitaeniata-, cacatuoides, and trifasciata-groups are highly polygamous. I would suggest a species best suited for a tank with A. baenschi to be one of the elongate forms like A. agassizii, and A. bitaeniata. This reduces intraspecific aggression, which is more nasty than interspecific aggression.

I also think that a 36x18"/90x45cm tank is not an especially large tank for housing 2 breeding groups of apistos unless heavily decorated to provide many visual territorial boundaries and places to escape aggression. Unlike mbunas, which don't each have a defined territory most of the time but form tight groups and 'share the aggression', apistos are more highly territorial in comparison.

 

[Bobblehead27]

Yes I have a very heavily decorated tank and heavily planted. With plenty of zebra danios as dithers. I assume it's probably a safer bet to get two pairs of species rather than two harems.
Thank you for all your help.