# Keyhole photos please and advice



## Hubbynz (May 10, 2008)

*Should Hubby get keyholes or aspito cacs?*​
A pair of Keyholes654.55%A pair of Double Red Aspito Cacs545.45%


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## Hubbynz (May 10, 2008)

I was wondering if people wouldn't mind posting a few pics of their keyholes.

I was considering getting a pair of keyholes instead of aspitos cacs for my 16 gallon planted tank after seeing a very cute pair in a planted display tank in my lfs. Although the brown colours were somewhat plain I feel these guys are super cute and definately an underrated beauty. I see them as the placid fish I wish my cons were ha.

From the sounds of things these guys seem somewhat easy to keep. Any tips?

My tank will most likely be cycled by the weekend so I need to make a choice soon. I lovethe colour of the double red aspito cacs but I prefer the shape and cuteness of the keyholes more....I'm torn.

Tank mates will include neon tetra, rummy nose, panda cory and a bristlenose.

Also do you think I could get away with a single blue ram in a 20 litre/5 gallon?


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## blairo1 (May 7, 2006)

Pics of Keyholes, no problem:














































Tips, later.

:thumb:


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

I would say NO to keyholes in a 16g tank... The reason being is that these guys can get around 4.5" when fully mature and they are much heavier bodied than the dwarf cichlid species... Their build and mass is similar to that of Convicts (albeit a little smaller and far less aggressive).

Also, I tried introducing rummynose and neon tetras into my keyhole tank and it didn't work out - the keyholes hunt and ate the tetras... If you were to get the keyholes as juveniles and raise them with tetras I do believe it could be possible to keep them together - otherwise stick with serpae tetras or blackskirts etc.


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## Hubbynz (May 10, 2008)

beautiful keyholes

ok I a thinking of going for a pair of aspito cacas and one single keyhole.

I will try to source a young small keyhole so that he grows up used to the tetras and as the single keyhole won't be able to spawn then I am presuming that it will be less aggressive.

If the keyhole starts to cause problems then I will remove it.


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## blairo1 (May 7, 2006)

Ah for some reason I read 26 not 16 (in a rush), coincidentally I voted for Apistos anyway.

Illy-d is spot on, these fish are two big to pair in a 15 gallon tank, it could potentially be done but it wouldn't be much of an existence - much better to have the Apistos to whom that size tank is more than acceptable.

You could potentially do a single specimen but I think these fish do get bigger than maybe you anticipate, it's always hard to envisage figures on paper as fish, but they are quite wide and stocky. I kept mine in with Bolivians, Pelvicachromis, Rotkeil sev, rummynose tetras, harlequins and freshwater gobies, all got on absolutely fine, never saw a fight between any of them and it was many months before the Keyhole killed my tiny little Gobies - never had an issue with tetras but this is in a larger tank with big schools AND he was there since just a littl'un. They are surprisingly piscivorous and the only way to combat that is as Illy said - to keep the Keyhole with such tank mates from a very young age. This isn't a guarantee either.

Keyholes are notoriously bossy of other fish less dominant than themselves, so this is what you need to watch for. I've never had a bad fight even between the breeding Pelvicachromis and Keyhole after lots of flaring etc, they usually just skulk off somewhere.

You may find the opposite with the apistos - in that size tank if they breed the male may well be a lunatic in which case as far as he's concerned the keyhole needs to go.

In short - a pair of apistos - :thumb:. A pair of Apistos and a single Keyhole - opcorn:.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

I voted apistos ... mostly becuase of the fact that due to their size, I wouldn't house keyholes in anything smaller than a 3 ft, 30+ gallon tank.


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## Hubbynz (May 10, 2008)

ok I have bit the bullet and place an order for a pair of double red apistograma cacas and single very small keyhole 2.5cm.

The keyhole will be there as a trial run and will be removed if he causes too much trouble....

Sorry I couldnt resist getting a keyhole.

My final stocking list is as follows

6 x Glass Shrimp 
1 x Keyhole Cichlid 
2 x Apistogramma Cacatuoides Double Red German 3cm 
1 x Borneo Sucker (Chinese Hillstream Loach) 
4 x Corydoras Panda 
4 x Rummynose Tetra 
10 x Neon Tetra 
1 X Albino Bristlenose

Possibly overstocked but I will see how it goes...possibly removing the keyhole and rummynose if it is overstocked.

Here is some pics of my tank which I have posted earlier which has almost finished cycling with 14 con juves and no deaths!!



















Please feel free to post more pics of keyholes and apisto cacas


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## blairo1 (May 7, 2006)

The only overstocking really is the Keyhole. You have several months before he reaches that size though so enjoy it until then, but I would put my money on you watching him getting bigger in that tank and eventually thinking, it's just not big enough.

If you're anything like me you will - a big full bodied fish like that in a small tank just looks odd. Like I said, you have plenty of time though, they fill out relatively slowly and are just as personable and cute when they are young as they are when mature.

Regarding the dithers - in my 20 gallon I used to have a group of 8 danios, 6 Rummynose and 4 Black phantoms - I like to have proper schooling groups of fish and the larger the number, the more they school. So you'll be ok with what you have there, I wouldn't add anything else though.

:thumb:


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

i didnt even read the tank size, if it was a 20L or a 29g then i would say Keyholes 100% as Keyholes are a fav of mine, but in that tank...Apistos for sure.

also, no Blue Ram in a 5g.


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## Subic76 (May 26, 2005)

Keyholes.
Her first batch.


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