Apisto And Betta?

[xamy_valox]

Hi there,
Am very interested in getting a cichlid and really like the look of the Apistogramma Agassizi. Will these fish however get on with a betta? Not the end of the world if they dont as I am toying with the idea of moving my betta into a smaller tank on his own when I upgrade to a 125 litre, but just wondered if I could get away with it.
Also, in a 125 litre would I be able to have 2?
Lastly, are they easy to come by? I dont think I have ever even seen one in the flesh =S Not that I have specifically looked.
Amy xx

 

[minnnt]

Hi Amy. The Agassizi are amongst the more common Apistogramma's so you would stand a better chance of getting these than say something like Borelli or Macmasteri.

In a 125 i reckon you could have a male and 2 females if the tank is cleverly decorated with a few sight line breaks etc.

Also see no reason why a Betta wouldn't work. Apisto's usually stop towards the bottom 1/3 and i believe a Betta would usually stay in the top 1/3?

With Apisto's it is key to have some dithers as they are known to be quite shy and unconfident.

Others may disagree though

 

[xamy_valox]

Yeah well I have a heavily planted tank right now with bog wood, rocks, caves and a coconut cave so plenty of hiding places and even more so when I upgrade to my 125 litre.

Are they quite peaceful fish then? Would they get on with tetras/rasboras/cherry barbs? As that is what I currently have in the tank and will do when I upgrade? Also cories!

Are there any other dwarf cichlids that you would rcommend? I am new to this species as I always saw them as difficult to take care of for some reason?
Thanks, Amy xx

 

[minnnt]

There are literally dozens of Apisto's available. A couple of other underated dwarf cichlids are Anomalochromis Thomasi and Bolivian Rams. Very interesting behaviours and colouration. Usually cheaper too.

Your stocklist that you mentioned sounds great, just be careful that they don't pick on the Cories as they will share the same area of the tank for probably 95% of the time.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Cant really see why this wouldn't work. Minnnts covered it alk

 

[xamy_valox]

Great stuff! Obviously I'll read up on the worked before buying as I do with all my fish, but is there anything glaringly obvious that I have to be careful with for these guys in terms of care?
I must admit I don't take much notice of my PH level in my tank, is this something I should be more concerned with when keeping cichlids?

 

[minnnt]

Most american cichlids prefer a lower PH of something around 6.4-7.0 but will tollerate slightly above this as they're pretty adaptable and hardy fish.

Apistogramma's prefer super clean water so your filtration will need to be in good shape and capable of removing any debris from plants/fish/food etc. These prefer an acidic ph too, something inbetween 6 and 6.5 would be ideal for them, but they will tollerate higher as i mentioned. RO water is a great way of reducing ph should you need to. Also bog wood and some peat in the filter will lower the ph slightly.

 

[xamy_valox]

That previous post was supposed to say 'species' I don't know how my iPhone managed to make worked out of that?!?! Lol.
Anyway, yeah as mentioned I do have bogwood and the tank I'm going to get has a good filter, but it's a bit old (having my brothers tank) so I may look at upgrading that. I've only ever had tanks that come with their own filter (Fluval Edge and Juwel 700) so filter hunting should be interesting! I do weekly water changes so my tank never looks dirty as I can't stand it!!

I think my ph is 7, I know it's dead in the middle on the API master tester kit anyway, but it was a while ago that I tested it.
Will they eat normal flake food, frozen bloodworm and daphnia? This is what I tend to feed my other fish, with the cories also eating catfish pellets and algae wafers.

 

[minnnt]

I would add some prima too as it sinks too

 

[GShorty1981]

My mates wife has 6 female bettas and 1 male betta in a large bowl on her coffee table, with no decor heating or filtration, they have been in there for 2 years no aggression.

(yeh yeh i know its not cool, but it aint mine and she dont care)

 

[xamy_valox]

Poor things =[

 

[lurch1000]

GS1981 - How often do you need to change the water in that bowl out of interest? (If you don't mind me asking)