Apisstogrammas Flaring At Their Reflection

[quinnARIUM]

Is this okay? I don't know if it will cause stress or if it is just a good outlit for aggression. I don't have any dither fish yet so I didn't know if it would be a good distraction for them or not.

 

[Sgooosh]

Is this okay? I don't know if it will cause stress or if it is just a good outlit for aggression. I don't have any dither fish yet so I didn't know if it would be a good distraction for them or not.

how many? maybe it is boredom cos theres too small of a number of them

 

[Colin_T]

its bad for fish to constantly be stressed out over intruders (real or imagined) in their territory.

 

[quinnARIUM]

Ok thanks for the input. It is just a pair in a 20 gallon tank (they will eventually be moved to the 75 gallon). How should I distract them/remove the reflections? I will probably get 10 rummy nose on Saturday, will these solve the problem?

 

[Sgooosh]

Ok thanks for the input. It is just a pair in a 20 gallon tank (they will eventually be moved to the 75 gallon). How should I distract them/remove the reflections? I will probably get 10 rummy nose on Saturday, will these solve the problem?

maybe add them to an indoor pond so theres no reflections

 

[kribensis12]

What type of apistogramma is it?

Most apistos are relatively peaceful. I would suspect that adding dither fish would be beneficial - I rarely find my apistos "flaring" at the glass.

 

[Avel1896]

It's typical for territorial fishes to flare at their reflection. It is this way Betta breeders train their fishes for contests in such a way the fish spreads its fins out. It helps fish train its muscles especially these carrying ling and "heavy" fins.

 

[quinnARIUM]

Ok, so sounds like dither fish might be a good idea, and flaring won't be harmful to them? They are Apisstogramma Agasizzi. I picked them up from Petco, they were free since someone had given them in. I put them in a quarantine tank and I am not sure if they are actually a pair. Aside from the male flaring at the glass there has been no aggression whatsoever so I assume they are a pair? I probably won't do an indoor pond but I could put some paper or material around the outside if the tank.

 

[Avel1896]

Flaring isn't harmful IF it lasts 1-2 minutes/days. It doesn't have to last longer.
That said, do not house 2 males in the same tank.
Tank length ? Because rummy noses need to be maintained in groups numbering 10 or preferably more, and its active swimming nature requires a tank length of 36 inches/90 cm length minimum.

 

[kribensis12]

Ok, so sounds like dither fish might be a good idea, and flaring won't be harmful to them? They are Apisstogramma Agasizzi. I picked them up from Petco, they were free since someone had given them in. I put them in a quarantine tank and I am not sure if they are actually a pair. Aside from the male flaring at the glass there has been no aggression whatsoever so I assume they are a pair? I probably won't do an indoor pond but I could put some paper or material around the outside if the tank.

Personally, I would not be too concerned about the flaring at this point. I would recommend trying the dither fish and then going from there. If you do not have a background picture/black background, I would encourage you to do that.

Apisto's come from very soft waters with a lot of leaf litter etc. With the dither fish in play, if you are still observing it then maybe something should be done. Again, if it's not happening constantly - I personally would not be concerned.

 

[Colin_T]

have a picture on the back of the tank and encourage algae to grow on the glass, that should stop the display.

 

[quinnARIUM]

Ok thanks for all the feedback guys! It was really helpful! I will add some dither fish and get a background

 

[Utar]

The term dither fish is new to me. So I looked it up and it is not any specific species of fish, just fished used to lower stress in other fish. I find this to be a strange concept.

Dither fish - Link​

The term dither fish refers to an arbitrary group of aquarium fish, commonly used by aquarists, to help reduce innate timidity and aggression as well as to promote normal social behaviour in the other fish housed within the same aquarium. Dither fish help reduce anxiety of some nervous species of fish by allowing the fearful species to see that it is safe to leave cover and eat the food that has been given to them. Commonly used dither fish are typical schooling species, such as some Danio, barb and tetra species, and are most often used in cichlid tanks. Dither fish are typically fish that swim around the top of a tank, a behavior that reassures more timid fish that no predators are nearby, and are found naturally in the same habitat as the other fish in the aquarium, thereby encouraging them to relax and engage in normal behaviour. This technique relies on the ability of cichlids in an aquarium to gauge environmental security by observing the behaviour of other fish species.

 

[Avel1896]

"Dither fish" is new to me too. Very interesting, thanks for sharing Utar ?
Most shooling fishes need an important length of 100 cm minimum for Danios and Tetras (depnds on species), 120 cm for Barbs that are nippy.
The smallest Danio I know Is Brachydanio tinwini. His 2.5 cm make him suitable for 60 cm long tank.
Or any Boraras.

 

[quinnARIUM]

Yeah, it is really intriguing to me how we can recreate natural scenarios in the aquarium. @Avel1896, the rummy-nose would be in their only temporarily until they are moved to the 75 gal with the dwarf cichlids. I could do Corydoras instead but I don't know if they would be as effective...