Panduro AND Macmasteri in the same tank???

[grego]

Hello,
I currently have a 120 gallon 4x2x2 foot tank that is fairly heavily planted. There are many rocks and driftwood as well. I have 12 4.5" discus, and 24 rummy nose tetras, and a pair of Panduro's in there. The Panduro's generally stay in a territory they have setup and are thriving. My LFS has some beautiful Macmasteri in stock.

Can I put a pair of Macmasteri in this same tank? Or any other apistos at all? I would love another pair or harem if possible.

All of your info/recommendations are much appreciated.
Thanks
Grego

 

[Mike Wise]

If the panduro only claim a limited part of the bottom area, you should be able to include the Macs, too. Just remember that panduro males & females jointly defend their territory, while the Macs will not. If there is an altercation, it will be 2 panduros against 1 macmasteri.

 

[grego]

Thanks for the response Mike. I had no idea about the differences between the two and how they would defend their territory. If you could please suggest a better "match" so to speak for the Panduro's that would be great. My LFS currently has Agasizzi and Cacutoides but they usually have others. Again Thanks for you reply.

 

[Mike Wise]

I tend to keep species of the nijsseni-group in smaller tanks with maybe a few dither/target fish. They all tend to do well as pairs (once they bond) while most other popular species are polygamous to some degree and will have the same potential problem as A. macmasteri. I do not like keeping species of the same species-group together. There is greater chance for intraspecies aggression between 2 similar looking species, not to mention a better likelihood that they cross-breed. Another option would be an open substrate breeding species like one of the Laetacara species or Mikrogeophagus altispinosus. Otherwise you could use the larger tank for a trio of 2 different polygamous species. If you really want to keep the panduros in the tank - and it is suitably aquascaped to provide clearly defined boundaries - I would try any of the species you mentioned, including the macs. Just keep an eye out for trouble, but that's a good idea all of the time.