Tank size for A. Borellii

[MariusH]

Hi all,

First of all, I’m new to this forum. Happy to be here and hope I can learn a thing or two around here.

Recently I got my hands on a second hand fish tank (a cube sized 50cm / 20 inch). It’s just small enough to comfortably fit into a corner in my home office. I would love to have some apistogramma in my tank.

I am considering a pair of A. Borelii in a Pantanal type biotope(ish) setting. They seem to be the most peaceful apistos for smaller aquariums.

The thing that worries me is if I can keep them in a 1:1 male / female ratio. My online sources are conflicting. Some say you can keep a male with a single female. Others say that more females to one male would be much better, since the female will be overly harassed by the male. I have no room for a separate evacuation tank at the moment (this changes after home improvement next summer).

What would you guys recommend. Keep a pair (two females and a male in a 20 inch cube aquarium would probably be too much), or ditch the plan alltogether and go for different (non-apisto) fish species?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MacZ]

A. borellii is by far the least aggressive species of Apistogramma. So keeping them in a group is easy and becomes easier the bigger the tank and the better it is structured.

You should consider though, that females of all Apistogramma tend to burn out quickly if they brood regularly in a community setting. In a community and biotope setting I would thus recommend a single male or a bachelor group.

 

[MacZ]

I have no room for a separate evacuation tank at the moment (this changes after home improvement next summer).

And considering this my advice is: get a single male and leave it at that.

 

[Mike Wise]

Agree with MacZ add 1 male, add some small tetras and make it a small community tank.

 

[MariusH]

A. borellii is by far the least aggressive species of Apistogramma. So keeping them in a group is easy and becomes easier the bigger the tank and the better it is structured.

You should consider though, that females of all Apistogramma tend to burn out quickly if they brood regularly in a community setting. In a community and biotope setting I would thus recommend a single male or a bachelor group.

Hi Mac. Thanks so much for your time and your advice.I appreciate it!

Could I make things work by not putting other fish in the aquarium? So it wouldn’t be a community tank then.

I wasn’t planning on getting them to breed anyway (keep them at slightly lower temperatures). But you’ll never know how nature works, so I have to be prepared in case they do..

 

[MacZ]

(keep them at slightly lower temperatures)

I have to dissapoint you there. This will have no effect. Most people here in germany keep and breed them very successfully at room temperature.

Could I make things work by not putting other fish in the aquarium? So it wouldn’t be a community tank then.

Of course, but to me a "community" starts when you leave the biotope realm and mix South American and Central American or West African species.
I find the idea of a single male with some tetras or Nannostomus quite appealing, since I kept such a setup for quite a while myself.

But you’ll never know how nature works, so I have to be prepared in case they do.

Best preparation in case you put a male and female in the tank is a group of tetras, who will eat the fry. Either you breed for yield (not profit, nobody can breed for profit and be a hobbyist at the same time) or you have a handful of small, underdeveloped survivors nobody will take off your hands and which can become a factor for social pressure in the tank.

 

[MariusH]

I have to dissapoint you there. This will have no effect. Most people here in germany keep and breed them very successfully at room temperature.


Of course, but to me a "community" starts when you leave the biotope realm and mix South American and Central American or West African species.
I find the idea of a single male with some tetras or Nannostomus quite appealing, since I kept such a setup for quite a while myself.


Best preparation in case you put a male and female in the tank is a group of tetras, who will eat the fry. Either you breed for yield (not profit, nobody can breed for profit and be a hobbyist at the same time) or you have a handful of small, underdeveloped survivors nobody will take off your hands and which can become a factor for social pressure in the tank.

I guess I wouldn’t be opposed to breeding them. I just don’t know how easy it would be to get people to ‘adopt / buy’ them over here (Netherlands).

Single male with a small group of some type of tetra is something I will think about. Maybe I’ll take a different species (Cacatoides also seem to be quite sturdy) because I like their natural environment (dark blackwater) better. Put them with some tetra and make a Rio Negro biotope like aquarium.

It’s just that I imagine that the interaction between multiple apistogramma would be something that made the tank more interesting. I guess I’ll have to wait until I have room for a bigger tank then.

Do you happen to know why the females in the community tank ‘burn out’ much faster? Is it the stress of trying to raise fry in such a hostile environment?

 

[MacZ]

Ah, in the Netherlands, so basically around the corner for me. I live an hour from the border.

Single male with a small group of some type of tetra is something I will think about. Maybe I’ll take a different species (Cacatoides also seem to be quite sturdy) because I like their natural environment (dark blackwater) better. Put them with some tetra and make a Rio Negro biotope like aquarium.

The A. cacatuoides you usually get in the trade are of colour breeds. They tend to be overbred, having deformities and health issues.

Do you happen to know why the females in the community tank ‘burn out’ much faster? Is it the stress of trying to raise fry in such a hostile environment?

You're on point. Dwarf cichlids do not cope well with stress, especially if it's over a longer period of time. But additionally once they start breeding they often do one clutch back to back with another. So they are near permanently doing this very energy costly business. Females breeding in a community tank tend to do this for 5-10 broods before health issues arise and it takes longer for her to get back to receptive state.

 

[KKOSARANG]

I've previously kept two females and one male in a 30cm x 30cm x 30cm tank, with both females raising fry simultaneously. Just make sure you add at least three spawning boxes and provide ample hiding space. You'll want to give the weaker fish a chance to run and hide.

 

[Cockatoofreak]

A. borellii is by far the least aggressive species of Apistogramma. So keeping them in a group is easy and becomes easier the bigger the tank and the better it is structured.

You should consider though, that females of all Apistogramma tend to burn out quickly if they brood regularly in a community setting. In a community and biotope setting I would thus recommend a single male or a bachelor group.

I am in the process of purchasing a group of 6 small A. borellii and planning on growing them out in a 20g Long. After reading this thread, I am wondering if they should be in a larger tank and, if so, what size?

I don't mean to hijack this thread but maybe it would be helpful for all to know...

 

[anewbie]

depends a little on their sexes but 40b sounds about right.

 

[MacZ]

100cm length and well structured would suffice.