Maybe it’s the Cory’s???

[Magnum Man]

I know, I don’t do tanks like a lot of you, I typically way over filter, over plant, and over crowd, most of my tanks… this morning, I was was sitting here drinking my caffeine, and watching the newer Apistos interacting… and I realized I have 10 dwarf to medium sized South American Cichlids in one tank, and since exchanging the Apisto’s for the bigger earth eaters… there is peace and harmony… 1/2 to 3/4 of them are sexually mature, but no one yet has been able to set up a nest… maybe all the Cory’s are helping keep the peace, there are 9 in this tank, and they have that “don’t care” attitude, and would swim in and out of anyone’s turf if someone set up shop… this has become a very interesting tank to watch… I can’t guarantee that it will be drama free into fish old age, or even until the Apisto’s become sexually mature, but today is a good day…

 

[GaryE]

I think it's luck. The Apisto njisseni have only been there a week or so. Biotodomo cupido has frustrated many a breeder because it only matures at over a year, sometimes a year and a half. It is way slower than its other Geophagine companions. Electric blue fish have been noted to be more chill than their unmodified species mates. And you've never said anything to suggest the angels have paired off.

I hope the peace remains. Individual fish have their own personalities. But until six months to a year, you can't know what it is. If you drop Attila the Jewel Cichlid in there, you'll know quickly. But shy SA Cichlids can surprise with sudden turns. I've had fish be peaceful for a year, and then, even though they weren't really predatory, eat the entire tank while I was at work.

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions yet. An overcrowded Cichlid tank can be as peaceful as the Cold War was, for a while. Stress filled too. When I was new to Cichlids, I got a bit carried away and ran some mixes I would never suggest now. I did it with a couple of SA tanks and one CA tank, and all ended badly. I also learned about Apistogramma in communities as when I was breeding them, there were always couples forming and a need to put them somewhere. I tried a few things. I won't try them again.

But I usually (not always) got 3 or 4 months before the hammer dropped.

You may have more luck.

 

[Naughts]

I also learned about Apistogramma in communities as when I was breeding them, there were always couples forming and a need to put them somewhere. I tried a few things.

Which apistos ? What did you learn? What worked/ didn’t work?

 

[GaryE]

Which apistos ? What did you learn? What worked/ didn’t work?

I bred about 30 different species, described and undescribed. In brief, I learned that their territories tend to be larger than our tanks, so they can't be crowded. Stress kills them. Females are more assertive and tend to dominate situations way more than the books admitted. Every species has to be approached as new, and what works for one doesn't automatically work for another. Water hardness is crucial, pH isn't. Body shape tells a story of their evolution, in most cases except for Venezuelan savannah/Llanos ones. Higher bodied Apistos tend to be less specialized in their needs. Some, like Apisto eunotus, are as easy to breed as any Cichlid. Others, no. Each species can have numerous colour and fin shape morphs, but commercial Apistos have gone into a breeding blender and that has been washed away. There are McDonald's style Apistos now.

What you see isn't accurate. I had Apistogramma gibbiceps from a clear water biotope, and they easily bred and raised fry in my 140ppm, pH 7.4 tap. I got some from a blackwater river, and their eggs died in my tanks, til I cut the water with snow melt, at which point they bred. Identical looking, but on their way to becoming separate. There was a lot of that. There are cryptic, unidentified species lurking in what we think we know.

I also learned it's hard to have a favourite Apisto. Even the ugly grey ones are interesting. They divide, loosely, into groups, and are a great window into speciation and diversity.

Tankwise? One pair per tank, no other Cichlid companions, if you want to keep them for more than six months. They're small, even if many are feisty.

And most importantly (and most unpopularly) if you like a species or morph, you can't count on the aquarium trade to resupply you when they die of old age. Either you breed it and keep at least 2 or 3 tanks to maintain it, or you may never see it again. Apistos go through the hobby and vanish, and the species we have available now are a fraction of what we could see in the past, if we went looking in specialty stores. And oh yes, they are an expensive hobby. I paid for mine by writing about them. They were popular in the past - not so much now.

 

[gwand]

I bred about 30 different species, described and undescribed. In brief, I learned that their territories tend to be larger than our tanks, so they can't be crowded. Stress kills them. Females are more assertive and tend to dominate situations way more than the books admitted. Every species has to be approached as new, and what works for one doesn't automatically work for another. Water hardness is crucial, pH isn't. Body shape tells a story of their evolution, in most cases except for Venezuelan savannah/Llanos ones. Higher bodied Apistos tend to be less specialized in their needs. Some, like Apisto eunotus, are as easy to breed as any Cichlid. Others, no. Each species can have numerous colour and fin shape morphs, but commercial Apistos have gone into a breeding blender and that has been washed away. There are McDonald's style Apistos now.

What you see isn't accurate. I had Apistogramma gibbiceps from a clear water biotope, and they easily bred and raised fry in my 140ppm, pH 7.4 tap. I got some from a blackwater river, and their eggs died in my tanks, til I cut the water with snow melt, at which point they bred. Identical looking, but on their way to becoming separate. There was a lot of that. There are cryptic, unidentified species lurking in what we think we know.

I also learned it's hard to have a favourite Apisto. Even the ugly grey ones are interesting. They divide, loosely, into groups, and are a great window into speciation and diversity.

Tankwise? One pair per tank, no other Cichlid companions, if you want to keep them for more than six months. They're small, even if many are feisty.

And most importantly (and most unpopularly) if you like a species or morph, you can't count on the aquarium trade to resupply you when they die of old age. Either you breed it and keep at least 2 or 3 tanks to maintain it, or you may never see it again. Apistos go through the hobby and vanish, and the species we have available now are a fraction of what we could see in the past, if we went looking in specialty stores. And oh yes, they are an expensive hobby. I paid for mine by writing about them. They were popular in the past - not so much now.

What do you mean by “higher bodied”.

 

[anewbie]

Also cory are an extremely poor mix with mating dwarf cichild; expect a lot of nastiness if mating behavior occurs. Also the induced stress of dealing with territory violations increase the likeliness of (a) shorten life span (b) bloat (c) diseases. There is a reason why people don't do this thing. There is no harm in mixing 'gentle' cichild but you should remove the incentive to breed when doing so - i.e, don't keep females.

Anyway i have a group of 8 cupido in a 100 for the past 9 months and i would not be shocked if they exhibit some breeding behavior in the next 6 months. They are a tight nit group but the males have been showing more 'bossy' behavior.

 

[Naughts]

I bred about 30 different species, described and undescribed. In brief, I learned that their territories tend to be larger than our tanks, so they can't be crowded. Stress kills them. Females are more assertive and tend to dominate situations way more than the books admitted. Every species has to be approached as new, and what works for one doesn't automatically work for another. Water hardness is crucial, pH isn't. Body shape tells a story of their evolution, in most cases except for Venezuelan savannah/Llanos ones. Higher bodied Apistos tend to be less specialized in their needs. Some, like Apisto eunotus, are as easy to breed as any Cichlid. Others, no. Each species can have numerous colour and fin shape morphs, but commercial Apistos have gone into a breeding blender and that has been washed away. There are McDonald's style Apistos now.

What you see isn't accurate. I had Apistogramma gibbiceps from a clear water biotope, and they easily bred and raised fry in my 140ppm, pH 7.4 tap. I got some from a blackwater river, and their eggs died in my tanks, til I cut the water with snow melt, at which point they bred. Identical looking, but on their way to becoming separate. There was a lot of that. There are cryptic, unidentified species lurking in what we think we know.

I also learned it's hard to have a favourite Apisto. Even the ugly grey ones are interesting. They divide, loosely, into groups, and are a great window into speciation and diversity.

Tankwise? One pair per tank, no other Cichlid companions, if you want to keep them for more than six months. They're small, even if many are feisty.

And most importantly (and most unpopularly) if you like a species or morph, you can't count on the aquarium trade to resupply you when they die of old age. Either you breed it and keep at least 2 or 3 tanks to maintain it, or you may never see it again. Apistos go through the hobby and vanish, and the species we have available now are a fraction of what we could see in the past, if we went looking in specialty stores. And oh yes, they are an expensive hobby. I paid for mine by writing about them. They were popular in the past - not so much now.

Thank you for sharing.