Apisto Species Tank...

[ApistoNut]

So is it doable to have multiple Apisto species??

I did have Cacatuoides in with the breeding Alcarinas and they were fine but i had some Macmasteri in there aswell and they didnt get on with the Alcarinas

 

[ApistoNut]

That tank is amazing BigbruiserAl!, are they adults or juvis as they look small?

Als tank is amazing those colours go well together, those Cacs are still juvies and they got alot more to show yet. His cacs are one of the best looking ive seen.... ever! Als fish of the month would be the Daddy i guess??

I would love a few females if i had room to breed with my young male!!

 

[njstockley]

this is what he usually looks like http/www.google.co...OTmKC_AQ&zoom=1

that's the picture I had seen - I think if they look like that in the flesh then I'm going to have some competition if I buy some!! I'm actually in Bristol next week...are you central as maybe I could stop by and have a look?

Nick

 

[ApistoNut]

This is my young male, just picture him as super orange

Where does your mrs live? I live about 10 mins from the M32

 

[BigbruiserAl]

That tank is amazing BigbruiserAl!, are they adults or juvis as they look small?

Als tank is amazing those colours go well together, those Cacs are still juvies and they got alot more to show yet. His cacs are one of the best looking ive seen.... ever! Als fish of the month would be the Daddy i guess??

I would love a few females if i had room to breed with my young male!!

Haha thanks yes they are his fry i guess they now are award winning Apisto's

They are approx 6 months old so as said they have a little more colour to show

 

[njstockley]

I've heard back from Alf already - really nice guy and seems keen to help...this is his response:


Hello Nick, yes you can put many Apistogramma together, some place I have seen many fish in a biotope and other places there were not so many. In a biotope where I collect Apistogramma alacrina, then the fish (in 1993) was not described. I gave conserved fish to Dr. Kullander and he describe the fish eleven years later, quick??
But biotopes where I have seen many Apistogramma together have been out in Puerto Inirida in Colombia.
There the river biotope had places with thick layer with leaf and fine sand, and there were also trees in the water. The current in the water don’t need to be strong.
If you need more information, drop me a line again.


So I have sent a follow up email for a bit more info on numbers, but I guess the key takeaways from this is - yes it can be done!


I'm going to start a journal when I start work on the tank (deep clean, repaint etc) but am sure there are plenty more questions to come, so here are a couple for starters...

• Filtration - I have 2 Ex1200's - is running both in a Rio 180 going to be overkill and make life difficult for the fish? Or would it be a good idea considering it will be quite densely stocked?
• Black gravel vs sand - I picked up some Pettex black gravel for very cheap a month or so back. It's quite small grained, but as above, I think sand is probably the way forward. I know some members use Unipac Limpopo but are there cheaper alternatives? I had a look and APS do a fine sand (grain size 1-2mm) but doesn't seem all that cheap either..?
• Leaf litter - what leaves, and where can I get them from?
• Dithers - I want mid-water swimmers, and I figured I should aim for a biotope setting... any suggestions here?

I will need to do some proper water tests before committing to this, just to make sure everything is suited, but this is the water quality report for my area of London - and whilst testing my setup earlier this year can remember my pH was neutral - 7-7.5... I'm not so good at judging water chemistry, so any help deciphering this would be appreciated!

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Turn the taps down on the ex1200 's I use oak leaves from my posion darfrog tanks

 

[Wills]

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!! now I am ruddy excited this is going to be an amazing tank.

I actually love the fact that the one he mentioned was Apistogramma alacrina (or did you mention you had access to a large population of them)

As how to keep them, try to match the breeders

As for dithers I know you mentioned Neons already but it seems a real shame to let such a stunning tank have such an average fish in it!!

Found this link which turns up some stuff my Alf again

http/www.ciklid.se/artregister/artreg_visa_fangstplats.php?ID=5

And turns up an interesting cichlid..... Heroina Isonycterina....... very very nice, somewhere between a Chocolate Cichlid, a Severum and a Vieja Argentina......

Wills

 

[njstockley]

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!! now I am ruddy excited this is going to be an amazing tank.

That puts the pressure on!! I'm seriously excited too...I've been trying to work out what to do with this tank for a good couple of months now and finally have some direction!

I actually love the fact that the one he mentioned was Apistogramma alacrina (or did you mention you had access to a large population of them)

I did mention that I might be able to get hold of these...but good that he had direct experience of them!

As for dithers I know you mentioned Neons already but it seems a real shame to let such a stunning tank have such an average fish in it!!

Yeah - I know what you mean. I want something with a lot of colour though, that swims mid-water, and shoals tightly - suggestions are always welcome although want to get a good biotope setup! As I live pretty close to Wildwoods there is normally a good stock on offer...

And thanks Al re: the Ex1200's.

Nick

 

[mishmash]

I have about 14 males with 8 females in 55G with some dither fish, apart from the odd chase all is well

Id love to see pics of this tank BBA

 

[Malawi MaD]

If you where to keep a group of these in an aquarium what is the minimum tank size for these guy??

 

[BigbruiserAl]

which ones mate theirs a few species floating in the thread?

 

[Malawi MaD]

which ones mate theirs a few species floating in the thread?

These mate Apistogramma Cacatuoides or maybe Apistogramma hongsloi. I would love a group of these in a set-up.

 

[njstockley]

​

This is a picture that Alf sent over to me as a follow up. His reco is that a Rio 180 can stock about 6-8 males and 10-15 females. I'm going to aim for the bottom end of that because the 180 isn't a big tank! Because Apistos tend to stick to the bottom of the tank it's all about floor space, so a tank with less height is fine. Then maybe a large shoal of pencilfish or tetra. That will all go in the journal when I get it up and going.​

 

[ApistoNut]

I just mailed Alf i just love his site and if i had the time and money i would be there doing the same thing I actually invited him to join us on here to give some advice considering he has studied most cichlids in there natural habitats.

I think Cardinals will go well in the tank just to give it that extra bit of colour, like Big Als. They will hold the top/middle and the Apistos will hug the bottom, even tho my female took her fry almost to the top of the tank today, was a bit dodgy


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