Wild Caught Panduro vs. Bitaeniata

[boydvd]

hi guys,

i have the opporunity to purchase Wild caught Panduro and Bitaeniata.

I am new to apistos and have 4 cacatuods in my community tank who are spawning, but i am told they are easy to breed.

now for a relative beginner, should i stay away from the wild caught Panduro? Thinking of buying 4 in the hope they will pair up. Once they pair, can the rest go in my cacatuoides community tank which is 4 ft heavily planted with hidey holes. the pair i will leave in a 2 foot species tank for breeding.
Being wild caught, would they be more colourful or duller? and would they be to difficult for someone of my experience to care for? eg stricter water quality and diet?

the alternative is i go for bitaeniata and buy 4 as per the panduro.

I wish i could buy them all, as there are also borelli opals and trifasciatas available!!

Your advice would be greatly appreciated,

Tai

 

[Mike Wise]

Hi Tai and welcome to the apisto forum. You'll find a lot of good information here. Now to answer your question. Of the 2 species that you're interested in, I would recommend A. panduro over A. bitaeniata. A. panduro doesn't require the extreme water values for breeding that A. bitaeniata does. If you decide to go with 4 A. panduro in a 2 ft. tank make sure that you keep an eagle eye out for pair formation. Once a pair forms they will try to remove any other apistos in their breeding territory. In a 2 ft. tank, it is the entire tank. Once a pair forms remove the other 2 - if they aren't killed first. They should be OK in a densly planted 4 ft. tank with your A. cacatuoides. If the other 2 pair off, too, then they will create problems with your cacatuoides. Panduros act as a bonded pair while the cacatuoides are polygamous and don't share joint custody of a breeding territory. Two fish against one - well, you get the idea.

 

[boydvd]

Hi Mike
thanks for your advice. this website and forum are great.

i think i will place my order for 4 panduro tomorrow.

once they pair off the other two can go in the main 4 ft tank.

just so happens that my alpha cactuoides female laid eggs. they just hatched yesterday and are wrigglers which is great. sadly she killed 2 other females and the male cactuoides along with 6 neon tetras!!! my 4 footer is densly planted and has many hiding places - i was shocked to find so many fatalities this morning.



oh, the joys of apistogramms keeping. :frown:

 

[Tedstank]

Alpha female

That is sad to hear. You have mean females. I have a trio in a 4 ft tank. The 2 females have equally divided the tank and am having no problems with them.....I get the fry out or most of them with a turkey baister as soon as the femaile brings them out. The only fish that don't get to spawn are my "spare" pair of Borelli's. They get the middle of the tank.....but never any serious fighting....and the 2 males, cacatuiodes and Borelli, only flare at each other.

 

[boydvd]

Hey Ted

a friend from this forum, hassles, had a look at my tank and thought it was densley planted and complex for my cacs...
sad news is last night the female has dies along with what looks like abloated rummy nose. i'm thinking there must be something really wrong with my tank now. Have not had a chance to check the water paramateres so will do it straight after work tonight.

I've ordered the 4 Panduros and a pair of agassizi. I may hold off on pickign them up today as i'm concerned tehy will cark it as well. (would be a painful $200 experience if they did)

 

[boydvd]

i just picked up my 4 panduro... they are so beautiful.. they flare thier gills like the asutralian frilled necked lizzard. i also got a pair of agassizi reds, they are so beautiful!!

i read somewhere that wild agassizi can produce any colour offspring. i am considreing mixxing them in a community tank with blue agasszi and seeing if they produce multicoloured fry....

also, should i add oak leaves and coral to buffer the water?

my tap water settles to about 6. to 7.

 

[boydvd]

i just picked up my 4 panduro... they are so beautiful.. they flare thier gills like the asutralian frilled necked lizzard. i also got a pair of agassizi reds, they are so beautiful!!

i read somewhere that wild agassizi can produce any colour offspring. i am considreing mixxing them in a community tank with blue agasszi and seeing if they produce multicoloured fry....

also, should i add oak leaves and coral to buffer the water?

my tap water settles to about 6. to 7.

 

[boydvd]

my panduros are lovely! they are like rams in that they like swimming at the front. the agassizi i bought are shy and hiding.

yesterdya i put a divider in my 2 foot panduro tank. seemed like the large male had paired with the yellow female.

i may have mixed the females up when i put the divider in as they lost colouring when i went to catch them.

the largest male sort of chases the female he is separated with. she is yellow and flares and seemsto want attention form him but he just chases her away. tin the other part of the tank, the smaller male is hiding as the female chase shim around. his caudal fin is a touch ripped. the female in this section is quite yellow as well.

should i remove the male? i'm scared he may get killed. options are to release the male into the 4 foot community tank with tetras platies and agassizi pair. is this advisable? i know it wll be very hard to catch the ale again when he is in his tank.

thanks

tai