Apistogramma

[crypt]

hi all sorry if this has been covered, but i want to set up a tank that is 50cm x 25cm x 30cm, 5 gallon ?
ive had the tank running with a sand/aqua grit substrate that is clay based and good for plants that i know the apistogramma will need for over 3 months just sitting empty apart from a male betta so its all cycled and the water quality is excellent according to my test kit, is it possible to keep these fish in this small a tank the LFS said that one pair would be fine in this tank but am i wrong in thinking that id need some dither fish to help the apistos feel safe and wud i need more than one female to the male? also is their a certain breed that i should be looking to kepp the lfs recommended agassizii sorry for the long question but i dnt want to trust the lfs who said i cud just add 1 male and 1 female. cheers for any help

 

[Katchan]

Ok first up you can double your water capacity, as you have a 10US gallon not a 5gallon tank. Secondly, that size tank is fine to spawn a pair of many dwarf cichlids in, and while apistogramma's in general are harem breeders they will also breed fine in pairs. Thirdly, as for what type of apitogramma, I would reccomened away from agassizii as that would be the absolute mininum for them and I'd actually say they should be in a 3 foot tank. A. Cacatuoides would be the most obvious of the apistogramma's but any that stay on the smaller side would be fine, or you could also try blue rams in that size tank. I also reccomend lots of caves (4-5 in a tank that size) and well planted, this allows for the female to have peace until she is ready to spawn and some protection for the male after she has spawned, Hope this helps some

Andrew

 

[crypt]

thanks for the reply i like the idea of the blue rams but thought that they were out of the question with the size tank i had, if i were to get a pair of rams and they were to breed at what size would the fry need to be moved on to their own tanks?