Which Species ? Or maybe none ?

[CBon]

Hi
I have two tanks. I would love to keep Apisto's but I do want other fish if they are to be in my main tank. The alternative is to keep just a pair of them in the nano, but I feel it would be too small (although you see them in shop tanks this size).

Tank 1
80cm x 45cm x 55cm tall. Planted. Mostly plants with a bit of redmoor wood in there which forms a natural cave. Current stocking is;

1 Otocinclus (will be increasing to about 5 very soon when they arrive)
3 Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish (1M 2F)
7 Rummy Nose Tetras (will be increased to 14 shortly)
6 Corydoras Schwartzi

Tank 2
30cm x 30cm x 35cm. Not yet set up. Could be planted or done as a semi biotope. Would this be any good for JUST a pair of apistos and maybe some dither fish ? Filtration is NOT an issue. It will be seriously over filtered, and my water maintenance is top notch. Im just worried the SPACE is too small, even for just one pair.

SO, the question is.... I had a pair of Cacatuoides in the main tank and had to yank them out (now at a friends house) as the female was chasing the male so much he spent all his time cowering and hiding behind the spraybar ! I would have thought there was enough room in there for him to be fine, but hey, no point keeping them if thats gonna happen. My question (finally) is what species of Apisto would be best in either of these situations ? I want a species that will be a bit more placid and get along better.

please advise.

 

[Mike Wise]

Since you want a community tank, why not just buy males of 2 different species? There will be no breeding problems with the other fish in the tank and males are much more colorful. If properly decorated, with 2 defined territories and no direct line-of-site in parts of the tank, it should work. I suggest that you get 2 species with similar behavior and size, but different body and fin shapes. Your 30X30cm tank is a bit small for most apistos. It would be great for breeding A. angayuara, A. wapisana, and A. sp Weißsaum/White-seam. Unfortunately, none of these species are common in the hobby. You might be able to keep a pair of A. borellii in such a tank.

 

[CBon]

Hi there. Two males. Never thought of that. I like that idea. They wont fight terribly ? I love Agassizi, so what others might go well with one of them ?

 

[Mike Wise]

Males are more territorial when there is a female around (sort of like Homo sapiens!:biggrin. If the tank is properly decorated this works. I would suggest a regani-group species with A. agassizii, something like A. cf. eunotus, A. sp. Masken, A. caetei, A. sp. Xingu/Vielfleck.

 

[CBon]

I have the apistogramma aqualog booklet so will check them out, thanks. So I can learn, WHY have you suggested that combination ? This is so I can know how to make other decisions in the future

 

[Mike Wise]

A. agassizii is a slender form while the regani-group species are deeper bodied: different body shapes and the fins and dark markings are different, too.