ten gallon...

[Microlepomis]

I know that this could look tacky... but I'm wondering what Apistos anyone out there with lots of experience would recommend for a ten gallon setup. I've got a spare ten, I have great tap water for apistos... I love apistos... I have lots of experience keeping the in bigger tanks... so I want to try.

Now let me be clear--I'm the guy who says 'Don't try it!" to beginners all the time... I've kept and bred numerous apisto species in tanks from 20 long up to 125, but I just want to try to put this empty ten to good use. So, I know cacas and borellii's are options... wondering about others. I've never kept aggies (I know, everyone else has), so I'd be interested in whether or not they'd be a good fit. Bitaeniata? Wild cacs? (are they more territorial than domestics?) Hongsloi? Rupununi (I happen to have a group of fry right now...) Others? Thanks!

 

[Mike Wise]

I've successfully reproduced in 10s all of the apistos you listed back in my stone age days - and lost some nice fish that way, too. If you are careful and observe the tank carefully - and recognize initial stages of aggression - you should be able to do it. For me it wasn't worth it, especially trying to keep many fry alive in such a small tank. As for species I'd suggest: A. wapisana, A. sp Wangenflecken, and A. sp. Araguaia. Other small resticulosa-, Xingu- and pertensis-complex species should work, too.

 

[Microlepomis]

What about aggies and rupuninis? Like I said I've never tried aggies and I've got those rupunini and they're not seeming terribly aggressive. I'd like to start with something cheaper than pertensis types...

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, I've bred rupununi in smallish tanks but not a 10. I guess you could give it a try.

 

[Microlepomis]

I'm scrapping the idea... Enough of the people who would know are questioning the idea that I'm going to accept their wisdom. Thanks for your input.

 

[gerald]

How about Badis, Dario, or a small mouthbrooding Betta like channoides?

 

[Microlepomis]

Betta channoides... Now that's an idea...

 

[davidjp1982]

Or maybe some shell dwellers? These are definitely next on my ever expanding list of projects