Noob Trying to Create a Breeder Tank - Optimal number of pairs?

[rockey999]

I currently have a Juwel Rio 125 that I plan on restarting in order to create a planted tank with some dither fish too. I plan on breeding apistos in this 33 gallon. I was just wondering how breeding pairs of apistos could I generally keep in a tank like this? I will likely be keeping either cacatuoides or agassizii. Any other tips on which dither fish to get/plants would be extremely helpful (this will be my first time creating a planted aquarium. Thanks

 

[boofeng]

A Juwel Rio 125's dimensions is 81 x 36 x 50H cm? I think a single pair would be fun in this size. Or a male and a few females, if there is plenty of structure (leaf litter, plants, PVC pipes, caves, etc that block line of sight).

Many people in Singapore keep 1M1F in tiny tanks (30x30x35H cm, 30x20x24H cm, 45x30x24H cm, etc), with quite a good degree of success. But few keep more than a single pair (mostly because apistos are sold in pairs locally, and single fish aren't usually cheap). I don't have good success with 1M2F, one female tends to die from stress and aggression. I've had 1M4F in a 45x30x30H cm tank for a while - but none of them bred. I prefer to raise a single pair in any size tank nowadays. I get to see group dynamics as the babies grow up, and finally when the tank is too crowded I pull fish out, or decomm the whole thing and start again.

I use these small tanks as holding tanks and the fish even breed sometimes. E.g. below is a mendezi pair that were waiting for a slot in the fishroom... and they bred before they could be rehoused. That tank is 30x20x24H! These fish really surprise me.

 

[rockey999]

A Juwel Rio 125's dimensions is 81 x 36 x 50H cm? I think a single pair would be fun in this size. Or a male and a few females, if there is plenty of structure (leaf litter, plants, PVC pipes, caves, etc that block line of sight).

Many people in Singapore keep 1M1F in tiny tanks (30x30x35H cm, 30x20x24H cm, 45x30x24H cm, etc), with quite a good degree of success. But few keep more than a single pair (mostly because apistos are sold in pairs locally, and single fish aren't usually cheap). I don't have good success with 1M2F, one female tends to die from stress and aggression. I've had 1M4F in a 45x30x30H cm tank for a while - but none of them bred. I prefer to raise a single pair in any size tank nowadays. I get to see group dynamics as the babies grow up, and finally when the tank is too crowded I pull fish out, or decomm the whole thing and start again.

I use these small tanks as holding tanks and the fish even breed sometimes. E.g. below is a mendezi pair that were waiting for a slot in the fishroom... and they bred before they could be rehoused. That tank is 30x20x24H! These fish really surprise me.

View attachment 7621

View attachment 7620

Hey Boofeng, thanks for the response! Would it ever be possible for me to keep 2 breeding pairs in such a tank? What if I pick two different species, maybe even one pair of non apisto dwarf cichlids?

 

[boofeng]

Hey Boofeng, thanks for the response! Would it ever be possible for me to keep 2 breeding pairs in such a tank? What if I pick two different species, maybe even one pair of non apisto dwarf cichlids?

This is an often-asked question here. Maybe do a quick search? I can't remember every opinion on it, but my impression is most people here think: "no it's not ideal".

I also know of no local guys who've done it successfully. I've had two or three trifasciata females raising broods simultaneously in a thickly planted 90 x 40 x 40H cm tank before, but never multiple species breeding at the same time in the same tank. It's not impossible I guess. But definitely more challenging.

BTW I had Pseudomugil luminatus spawning in that trifasciata colony. I had to remove the occasional babies I saw to raise separately or they just disappear after a while.