ph

[Taylor-rose]

is it ok to keep apistogramma cacatuoides in a ph of 7.4?? would they breed?

 

[Simon Morgan]

Yes and they probably will breed but you need to know more than the pH. Do you know the TDS (Total dissolved solids) or GH (general hardness)?

 

[Taylor-rose]

Yes and they probably will breed but you need to know more than the pH. Do you know the TDS (Total dissolved solids) or GH (general hardness)?

i sorta know about the general hardness, and i think that apistos like the water really soft. Some more explanation on it will be great though.

 

[Simon Morgan]

pH isn't as important as conventionally thought, especially in softwater. GH is a measure of Calcium (and magnesium and other stuff) which is a rough measure of how much "stuff" is in the water. TDS is a measure of everything in the water, so Sodium, Calcium etc etc. What is important to the fish is the "osmotic balance". The relative amount of salts in his body compared with salts in the environment (water). If the water is different to something he has evolved in then he has to exert energy to correct it.

If your GH and more importantly KH (Karbonate hardness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonate_hardness) is high then the pH will probably be stable, if it is low the chances are the pH may drop over time and you will end up with ideal situation for the fish.

Fortunately, cacatuoides are pretty adaptable and will live in fairly hard water, but of course they would probably prefer to be in something more natural if you can provide it.

 

[Taylor-rose]

pH isn't as important as conventionally thought, especially in softwater. GH is a measure of Calcium (and magnesium and other stuff) which is a rough measure of how much "stuff" is in the water. TDS is a measure of everything in the water, so Sodium, Calcium etc etc. What is important to the fish is the "osmotic balance". The relative amount of salts in his body compared with salts in the environment (water). If the water is different to something he has evolved in then he has to exert energy to correct it.

If your GH and more importantly KH (Karbonate hardness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonate_hardness) is high then the pH will probably be stable, if it is low the chances are the pH may drop over time and you will end up with ideal situation for the fish.

Fortunately, cacatuoides are pretty adaptable and will live in fairly hard water, but of course they would probably prefer to be in something more natural if you can provide it.

My ph hasn't changed from 7.4 one bit so im guessing the water is fairly hard? Would there be another apisto that would be better for my type of water?? what about apisto panduro?

 

[Simon Morgan]

It probably is fairly hard, worth testing GH and KH, or checking the Water company website. Do you get a lot of scaling in your kettle or shower head for example?
A. cacatuoides is probably the best Apisto for hardwater, I can't think of another I would recommend. Bolivian rams and Blue acaras would be ok if you have space for them. Or consider Hardwater cichlids, ie Central american or Rift lake.

 

[Taylor-rose]

It probably is fairly hard, worth testing GH and KH, or checking the Water company website. Do you get a lot of scaling in your kettle or shower head for example?
A. cacatuoides is probably the best Apisto for hardwater, I can't think of another I would recommend. Bolivian rams and Blue acaras would be ok if you have space for them. Or consider Hardwater cichlids, ie Central american or Rift lake.

i was wanting smaller cichlids that are less aggressive as i have discus and they are in with a breeding pair of kribensis but was wanting to get rid of the kribz and get a pair of apistos. I am in the method of getting a new filter that has a slow flow and is changeable and increasing the plants in the tank.

 

[Simon Morgan]

i was wanting smaller cichlids that are less aggressive as i have discus and they are in with a breeding pair of kribensis but was wanting to get rid of the kribz and get a pair of apistos. I am in the method of getting a new filter that has a slow flow and is changeable and increasing the plants in the tank.

Apistos are just as aggressive as Bolivian rams or Blue acaras, pound-for-pound probably more so. There isn't much of a co-relation between size and aggression in cichlids. If anything, it's inversely proportional, look at Shell-dwellers for example.
Severums and Uarus are very good tank-mates for Discus and are a lot larger than Apistos...

 

[Taylor-rose]

Apistos are just as aggressive as Bolivian rams or Blue acaras, pound-for-pound probably more so. There isn't much of a co-relation between size and aggression in cichlids. If anything, it's inversely proportional, look at Shell-dwellers for example.
Severums and Uarus are very good tank-mates for Discus and are a lot larger than Apistos...

i wasn't wanting the smaller size because i don't have the room for a pair of cichlids any bigger than a kribensis, which apistogrammas are smaller and less aggressive. In the lfs they don't offer much and i don't have access to any of those fish. I have tried with Blue rams but hasn't worked out.

 

[Simon Morgan]

Cacatuoides will be fine with your Discus.

 

[Taylor-rose]

Cacatuoides will be fine with your Discus.

i was thinking about laetacara curviceps, would they be better? easier to breed?

 

[Simon Morgan]

Curviceps are more peaceful than Apistos IME but cacatuoides would be easier to breed.

 

[Taylor-rose]

Curviceps are more peaceful than Apistos IME but cacatuoides would be easier to breed.

If i had a pair of both would they live peacefully together in a 6 foot tank??

 

[Simon Morgan]

Yes I would think so.