What apistos should I get?

[eliteram]

Hi, I have a live planted (low-light) 20g tank that I'd really like to have apistos for. It has a sand/gravel substrate, 2 black phantom tetras (will get more, but the ones I keep finding always have sick ones around them), and one farlowella catfish. The pH is a 6.5, with driftwood. The temp can be whatever it needs to be. The plants are onion plant, anubias, anacharis, and java fern. I really need a carpeting plant but can't seem to find a good one...So yeah, that's basically the tank. Theres driftwood and some rocks, but I'll probably be replacing the current rocks with smaller ones and I'll be making little caves. Just doesn't quite matter right now with the current set up, haha.

So I'm a little bit picky I guess. My favorite apistos seem to be female ones...I would like at least one little yellow girl, and I'd like the male to be relitively flashy...not like the fins have to be like the cacatuoides, but I'd like the male to be sparkly and a little bit colorful, at least. I'm not really into the dark horizontal stripes, but I really like the panda eyepatch look.

I really like A. Panduros (is it obvious), but I was wondering if there are any species where the female looks a lot like the female panduro, but the male is a little bit flashier? And I'm not really looking for a rare apisto...they're hard enough to find already. Also I'd like the apistos to be larger than my tetras, haha.

With the species you suggest, how many can I keep? I'd prefer to have two females with one male, but a pair is fine as well. I just like the females so much. What temperature should I kee the species at? Are there any special requirements? Are there any bottom feeders that wouldn't disrupt them too much?

And last but not least, I realize that there are several people on this forum who are from Colorado. I'm finding it extremely difficult to find apistos in my area, and would be very willing to drive out to denver to get some. Do you guys have any available?

Thanks so much guys! I know I'm kind of a pain with asking questions, haha.

Particular ones I have in mind are Apistogramma panduro, Apistogramma nijsseni, Apistogramma viejita, A. borellii "opal"

 

[Mike Wise]

Your tank should be able to handle a pair or trio of most of the species listed. Just understand that nijsseni-group species (A. nijsseni, A. panduro, A. baenschi, etc) tend to form bonded pairs. Odd females are usually attacked by both members of the pair. The other species will act more like typical polygamous apistos.

A. nijsseni requires a lower pH (around 5.5) for breeding than the others. Temperatures around 79ºF, at least for the first 6 weeks of life, should result in 50/50 sex ratios of the young.

As for apistos, I find the same problem that you are having. Denizens in Ft. Collins is probably the best place to find apistos in the state. Golden Fish in Lakewood carries them on occasion. Otherwise it's hit & miss. Most of my fish I pick up at ACA conventions or have them shipped in. I have a few extra apistos, but most are a bit exotic for beginners & aren't the "gaudy" types for the most part. I'll be putting some in the Colorado Aquarium Society auction on Saturday 4/28.

 

[eliteram]

Yeah, Denizens does seem to have a pretty good stock of fish! They really made me angry the other day though because I was just in to buy plants and a rubberlip pleco, waited an hour and a half to get service, finally got it, and then he walked away from me while I was midsentence talking to him to help another customer. So I left. Going back today though because they're running really low on the rubberlips. I'll tell them to look out for all those fish then. I know they had cacatuoides in last week but I missed them, and wasn't all that interested anyways. Had a pair of bolivians when I was in and they were tempting...much prettier in person than on the net. I'm betting Exotic Aquatics in Boulder has apistos occasionally,they have an amazing stock of fish (I like that its not half livebearers, haha). I guess I'll call them and see.

I guess I'll just get a pair then, no big deal. I'd prefer not to mess with PH too much since I have a nice one and I know there are plenty of fish that work in it.

Waiting around for fish is so hard, haha.

 

[Apistomaster]

A. nissenji is a beauty; both sexes. But as Mike pointed out, they are best kept in pairs in low pH, very softwater and some peat fiteration or blackwater Extract seems to please them.