What kind of Dwarf for my 20g planted?

[GulfCoastAquarian]

I'm setting up a 20g planted tank (55w PC lighting, black silica sand over peat/vermiculite) and I'm contemplating what type of fish to stock it.
I'd like to get a pair of fish that will raise their fry. Neolamprologus brichardi come to mind as one of my favorite African Dwarf Shelldwellers, but I'm not sure if they would dig up the plants.
What about apistos? Or Kribs?? Are any of them as easy to breed as the N. brichardi? I especially like the idea of the brichardi raising their fry on their own as I want this tank to be low maintenence.

Thanks!

 

[cootwarm]

Hi Sam,

Last month I got 6 Apistogramma borellii. I put them in an unseasoned 30 gallon tank with two new (unseasoned) sponge filters. Although my water is soft (2KH, 4GH), my pH is kind of high (7.5), yet within 2 to 3 weeks I had 3 of the females spawn! And they were only 3/4 of an inch long and less! The fry have been free swimming for weeks now and have they grown! I feed them BBS twice a day and microworms once a day. Although they are already close to out growing microworms.

Anyhow, unless I got very lucky, borellii seem to be prolific, low-maintainance kind of Apisto. I don't want to admit it, but I've been going about 10 days between water changes. I've got 3 females and one male in my 30 gallon with some pencilfish and a couple Oto cats. The borellii don't bother the plants either. I have a large piece of driftwood and lots of plants in this tank. I think this makes them more comfortable with their surroundings.

It's cool watching all 3 families living in the same tank. In a 20 gallon high you could keep a trio of borellii (2f1m).

I've kept Kribs in the past. They were easy also. Slightly more aggressive (IME) and only spawn as a pair (i think). I don't remember them digging up the plants either. I don't think they dug into the gravel at all.

Michael

 

[aspen]

i think you would be very happy with borelli's (MFF) or rams (MF). for rams, i would buy MMFF and keep the 2 fish that breed together first. rams will dig little pits here and there, and i would definately use sand for rams. with rams or borelli's you would do well to keep a few dither fish, even if it is just oto's. the fewer fish you keep, the less maintenance you will have to do.

rick

 

[GulfCoastAquarian]

I'll have three SAE's in there to keep algae in check, but that's about all I planned for dither fish/cleanup crew.
I've never seen those Borelli's locally. Does anyone know where I can get some? They're a pretty fish!

 

[tjudy]

A pair of pelvicachromis do well in a 20 gallon. That is the size tank I use for my pairs.

 

[Fogelhund]

Certainly there has been some good ideas provided already.

The term shelldwellers is typically reserved for those fish that utilize shells, in their natural environment, for breeding and protection. Given Neolamprologus brichardi do neither, they really couldn't be consider shelldwellers.

Having dealt with my overly anal attention to detail we can move on.

Most of the shelldwellers proper should be fine in a planted tank.

Neolamprologus; similis, multifasciatus, brevis, occelatus, melagaris, speciocus should be fine.

Altolamprologus sp submu.

Telmatochromis bifrenatus, vittatus

Non-shelldwellers
Julidochromis transcriptus (true, not gombe though), ornatus, dickfeldi

Neolamprologus caudopunctatus

Now, all of these fish have the potential to dig some, but this can easily be controlled by putting the shells/caves in places where a bit of digging doesn't matter.

Neo. brichardi can also be kept in a 20 gallon, but will dig quite a bit more then the other fish.

 

[GulfCoastAquarian]

Thank you for pointing that out, Fogel. No wonder I've had a hard time finding info about N. brichardi in the "shelldweller" areas I've been looking.

This tank is going to be a very simple aquascape with a few rocks in the middle (covering an overturned clay pot) and glossostigma growing in a field all around it. Behind the rocks, I might grow a small bunch of Micranthemum umbrosum for additional cover.
I'm worried about digging and upsetting the delicate glossostigma plantlets. I think I am going to rule out N. brichardi for this tank and focus on some of the less prolific diggers you mentioned.

I've read up on the Borelliis and they do seem to care for their fry, but only for a short time. I like the idea of the N. Brichardi tolerating their fry and even accepting them into a large "family". I could grow them out to sellable size in that tank. Could I grow the Borelliis out in the tank with their parents?

 

[cootwarm]

Hi Sam,

I haven't experienced it myself, but I read where borellii fry are cared for by the mother until they are large enough to somewhat forage on their own and at that point the father takes over their care while the mother starts the next batch of fry. So I think they'll be fine remaining in the tank with the parents while they grow, but depending how many fry you get, the 20 gallon might get a little crowded at some point.

But of course this is a generalization, I'm sure all borellii don't behave exactly the same and I know they don't read the same books I do. Perhaps some of the others on this forum have experienced parent borellii starting another batch of fry while the first batch is only half grown. My borellii fry aren't half grown yet, but I plan to move them to a growout tank when they get over 1/4 inch long to encourage the parents to start another batch. Perhaps the borellii won't wait that long. Only time will tell.

I bought mine on AquaBid from Apoistodave. They shipped all ther way across the country, Oregon to Vermont, and arrived in excellent condition. Within just a couple hours, they were settled in, looking very active and healthy as though they had been in my tank for months.

Michael

 

[GulfCoastAquarian]

Well if it gets overcrowded, I don't have a problem culling fry as Discus food. I just would like to see a small group of 20 or so of these guys grow up to 1" or so in that tank.

I have been focusing a lot on Borellii since they were fist mentioned, though. Are there any others that match the type of behavior I'm looking for? (Caring for fry, easy spawners, minimal localized digging)

 

[cootwarm]

Hi Sam,

I told you borellii were easy! One of my 3 borellii mothers abandoned her young in the last couple days. Actually, it appears that she just didn't keep them together any more and most of them wandered over and joined another family. About half a dozen are swimming independantly about the tank. They're only 1/8 of an inch long and on their own! None of the other fish bother them, not even the extra male borellii.

Now this mother borellii that no longer has a family, is already displaying for the dominant male and he is definitely interested. I bet with in a day or 2 I'll have another clutch of borellii eggs.

I guess they didn't need any encouragement to start another batch after all. I think I'll leave the first batch of fry in the tank just to observe their interaction with the next batch.
I wonder if the mother of the new batch will allow fry from the first batch mingle, or if she'll drive them away?
I wonder how much longer the mother that adopted most of the other mothers young will care for her enlarged family?

Michael

 

[Cichlids1]

Bolivian Rams, Nannacara anomala, or even a nice pair of Dwarf Pike like C. regani would love a planted tank. The Bolivians and Nannacara will start raising their own fry sooner than later. No luck so far with my regani raising their own, but they still look real good cruising through the sword plants and corkscrew vals hunting apisto fry

 

[GulfCoastAquarian]

Well, I decided on some Rams. I'm not sure what kind of Rams these are. Someone from plantedtank.net went and got them for me from his LFS. I'm hoping they'll decide to parent the fry, should they decide to spawn in the tank.

Go here for pictures...
http://www.plantedtank.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2647&start=34