# Apistogramma's



## alyaj06 (Oct 13, 2008)

can someone tell me about Apistogramma's. im trying to figure out what kind of cichlids i want in my tank.

thanks


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## alyaj06 (Oct 13, 2008)

someone please help me


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## rogersb (May 21, 2007)

go to the profiles section or the library and look up the articles on them. then ask some questions. do your homework around here or people will lose their patience very quickly


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## Dutch Dude (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi there,

Maibe you can tel us a bit more what info you are interested in and what are your plans.

There are a lot of diferent species. Some are hard to maintain and require quit some space or high demanding on water quality. One thing is for sure,...wild specimens are more delicate as domesticated. Among the wilds the cacatuoides and borellii are the easy species. Domesticated are the easiest to maintain. Some color morphs are quit popular like the hongsloy II and agazissii. The requirements on the water (qualety and settings), tank and aqua scape depend on the specie. A pair of domesticated borellii are fine in a 10 or 15 gallon tank with 3 caves some driftwood and plants. Panduri definitely need much more space (becouse of their temperament) and are most likely wilds and for that are more delicate.

What ever specie you select,....they all seem to have the same type of behaviours. They can hover around the tank and show some fun and interesting behaviour. Especially during breeding and raising fry they show the most interesting behaviour.

Maybe you can tell us more abouth your plans. Tank size, willing to do more effort in maintenance, tank inhabitants and if you are new to the hobby or already experienced.

On the Internet there are tons on articles abouth apisto's so info should not be that hard to find.


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## alyaj06 (Oct 13, 2008)

I have a 10 gal tank. I'm cycling the tank so im looking at the different types of cichlids i can put I'm my tank I have 3 plants and a crowntail for the cycling. For equipment I have a Penguin Bio-Wheel 100 for the filter and a heater of some kind. I don't really want drift wood because it turns the water a yellow color. I have had fish tanks with angelfish and did great with them but I'm new to cichlids I'm willing to put time, money, and effort into the hobby so can you tell me what I can do with that being said.

Here is a link to what the tank currently looks like:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=181589


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## Hubbynz (May 10, 2008)

have a look through the following website for an introduction on dwarf cichlids.

[/url]http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/
As your tank setup is pretty smal...nia and nitirates and can die very easily.
Like dutch dude said cacatuoides and borellii are probably good beginners options as they are realtively hardy and unfussy on water conditions.

Soak your driftwood in boiled water for a few days will get rid of most of the yellow colouring to your water. Don't add any cichlids until your tank is fully cycled.


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## alyaj06 (Oct 13, 2008)

Hubbynz,

Do you think I could put a pair of cacatuoides and a pair of borellii in the same tank. I'm planning on getting more plants and more rock to build hiding spots for them. Also do you know of any good place to buy these at? i cant find any good pieces of drift wood for my tank they all have slate attached to the bottom.


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## madzarembski (Jul 3, 2008)

No. Probably not, You will need to go with one or the other. Especially if by pair you mean male/female. Someone's life will be short and ugly in the 10. Sorry.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

G'day *alyaj06*,

No, you won't be able to put a pair of cacatuoides and a pair of borellii in a 10 gallon tank. The problem here is that the 10 gallon tank does not provide enough area for both pairs to have thier own territory.

*Hubbynz* is very unlikely to know of any good places for you to buy apistos as he lives in Southern Australia and you live in Florida, USA.

But me, I get around some (on line anyway)  , try Southernapistos, they're based in St. Petersburg, Florida.



> I have had fish tanks with angelfish and did great with them but I'm new to cichlids...


hehehe, Angelfish are cichlids.


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## alyaj06 (Oct 13, 2008)

thanks a ton deadfishfloating i will most likely buy them from them.


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## alyaj06 (Oct 13, 2008)

can i put a pair of cacatuoides with a school of a bout 6 rummy nose tetras in a 10 gal tank?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

You're going to have to be really careful to get a pair in this size tank, and even then, I'm not sure it will work long term. If by chance they don't get along, you aren't going to have enough space for the weaker one to escape. It may be a difficult task making them happy in a tank this size.

Are you hoping to breed the Apistos? If so, I wouldn't put anything else in with them.


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## Dutch Dude (Sep 14, 2006)

I agrea on Kim that a 10 gallon is very small,....but I know it isn't impossible! I expect the A. borellii to be the best choice for such a small tank. The specie is not that territorial, quit hardy and not to difficult to breed. The borellii "opal" is a very beautiful fish and especially the "opal" red mask! Those will be hard to get but the common borellii and borellii "opal" are easy to get and abouth the cheapest of all apisto's.

You will need a lot of caves in that tank. For me 1 1/4 inch PVC tubing with a length of 3 to 4 inch work the best.


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## Fishguy28 (Feb 5, 2007)

I keep all of my breeding pairs in 10s decorated with a couple of coconut shells a small piece of driftwood and alot of java moss with no problems. A 10 is the smallest for a pair and for two pairs a 20 long or 30 gal would be needed. I personally would never put a borellii pair in a tank with another species they are to easy to push around. With getting pairs of borellii and cacatuoides spawning is inevitable and even cacatuoides females get pretty nasty when spawning.


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