What should I get??

[carrieann]

Ok, after having my tank set up for a month now, I am very very ready for some apisto's. My LFS got some in, but all the pairs were sold in about a day and a half. Doesn't look like they will be getting any in any time soon....soooo, it looks like I will have to order online. I am going to go through aquabid, I think. I have a few options and was wondering what kind would suite my tank the best:

20 gallon standard
Mod. planted w/ CO2
4 Harlequin rasboras
3 Black neons
1 Oto cat
1 Cory cat
various pots and caves to hide in

What there is listed right now are:
cacatoids, in pairs
Chao, pair...??
Combrae, pair...???
Cruzzi's
and a pair of F1 juvie Inka's

water params:
pH: around 6-6.4
KH: 1-2
GH: 6-7

I know my GH is high...can't do much to bring it down and i know it limits my choices. SO....what should I do? You all know better than I do!!

Thanks....sorry for the long post!

 

[fishboy20]

Some of the apistos on aquabid are mislabeled I noticed. The one's labeled as combrae are actually a Nannacara species. I also saw the same person selling Geophagus brasiliensis as Geophagus sp. "redhaed Tapajos". But I am sure they came in this way to him. Apistodave seems to have great pricing on good size pairs. They are just reaching the point where they can start spawning. Oh, and don't forget the people right here at Apistogramma.com. Lot's of easy to keep, starter Apistos available as well as the rare species.

 

[Randall]

I know my GH is high...can't do much to bring it down and i know it limits my choices. SO....what should I do? You all know better than I do!

Dear Carrieann,

Thanks for posting.

Given the fish that you currently have, my only recommendation is that you get your cory cat a friend. Cories are schooling fish.

Even though the GH of your water is on the high side, the KH is quite low. I expect this is due to CO2 infussion. When keeping many soft water fish, the KH is more important than the GH. Many a soft water fish has thrived and been successfully bred in water where the GH was high, but the KH was low.

Rather than taking your chances on an Internet auction site, why don't you contact Neil at apistogramma.com? Neil is extremely knowledgable, helpful and offers some pretty extraordinary fish.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[farm41]

water params:
pH: around 6-6.4
KH: 1-2
GH: 6-7

I know my GH is high

How lucky, that is very nice apisto water. Many apistos will breed in that water.

1 pair of apisto's would be fine for your tank, or maybe a trio of borellii.

 

[M0oN]

I would really discourage you from buying apisto's on AquaBid.com

They're a lot more delicate then most fish and you never know what kind of hobbyist you're buying them from, you could end up with two emaciated hexamita infested apistogramma that die in a month buying through there...

Being that they'll be the centerpeice of the tank you really should consider investing a decent amount of money in a purchase from a reputable breeder/importer for some healthy specimins, it will save you a lot of heartache in the long run I'd imagine...(I only mention these things because I keep discus, which are just about as sensitive as apisto's if I'm not mistaken).

Throw two more cory cats in there to give your buddy some friends, after a few weeks time they'll acclimate to eachother and start to sift around through the substrate all day, fun fish to watch and cute in my opinion.

I've got to throw a plug in for my buddy who sells apistogramma out of Florida since he just got a large amount of stock in, don't pay attention to his list as far as which stock are in at the moment and which aren't, all of his fish are INCREDIBLY healthy and robust, if you pay for them now he'll even hold onto them for a month or two for you and ween them into the best health they can possibly be. He's been caring for apisto's for nearly 11 years now...

http://www.geocities.com/mikefjacobs/pricelist.html

 

[farm41]

I would really discourage you from buying apisto's on AquaBid.com

Some really great people sell on Aquabid, trustworthy too, and likewise, getting fish from an unreputable source can happen.

 

[cootwarm]

I purchased my first apistos on AquaBid and they arrived in excellent shape. Out of a total of 32 fish I only lost 2 (1 after a couple hours & the second a week later). That was about 9 months ago and I still have all 30. The 2 I lost were replaced and I included them as part of the total.

I got mine from ApistoDave. He shipped them all the way across country from Oregon to Vermont and they arrived in excellent condition. They were very healthy and settled into my tanks like they had always been there!

Also AquaBid provides past customer feedback on the sellers, so you can see how reputable the seller is.

Michael

 

[M0oN]

I purchased my first apistos on AquaBid and they arrived in excellent shape. Out of a total of 32 fish I only lost 2 (1 after a couple hours & the second a week later). That was about 9 months ago and I still have all 30. The 2 I lost were replaced and I included them as part of the total.

I got mine from ApistoDave. He shipped them all the way across country from Oregon to Vermont and they arrived in excellent condition. They were very healthy and settled into my tanks like they had always been there!

Also AquaBid provides past customer feedback on the sellers, so you can see how reputable the seller is.

Michael

Good points, I've just had bad luck with shipping lately so I'm a little wary of who I buy from right now...

 

[carrieann]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I have contacted Neil to get prices and shipping quotes and if I do order online, it will most likely be from him. Just shopping around, ya know.

About my cory...I did have a buddy for him and he was the most lazy cory I've ever seen, while on the other hand, the cory I have now is the most hyper cory I've ever seen. Well, the other guy somehow managed to dig his way under one of the clay pots and got stuck in the gravel. Maybe I'll pick up a panda cory soon. He just looks so happy zooming around the tank. ?? who knows.

Think I should get another Oto? I'm not sure...I love mine, he's crazy.

And finally, if I do order from Neil, would you suggest getting a pair of something, or getting 5 or 6 juvies and then see how many boys and girls I get and see who likes who?

Thanks again for all the advice!