Keyholes Or Apistogrammas?

[m00se]

Hi all

I'm looking to add some more fish to my 300L (75gal) tank, and wanted to get some nice peaceful cichlids that won't trash my plants to all hell. I've pretty much narrowed that down to keyholes and apistogrammas (unless anyone has any other suggestions?)

The tank currently contains:

- 3 opaline gouramis (1xmale, 2xfemale)
- 1 male dwarf gourami
- 1 RTBS
- 3-5 peppered cories (I can't find more than three atm but I'm sure the other two must be in there as I haven't found any dead!)
- 1 black sailfin molly
- shoal of 10 praecox rainbows
- 5 apple snails

Are some keyholes good additions? I'd also consider go for apistogrammas but all I can find on TFF suggests that they need to be kept in soft, acid water. My water is pH 7.2 and harder than all hell at 138.1250mg Ca/l (24.4 Clark degrees!) [stat from waterboard], so it doesn't seem suitable.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, what is a good number for keyholes? I had toyed with the idea of buying a few juvies and keeping them to see if I manage to get a mating pair, then taking back the others. Good idea or bad idea?

Thanks in advance for your help as always

 

[glolite]

Keyholes are pretty peaceful and will tolerate ph of 6 to 8. Good idea to get a group of juvies and let them pair up. Most American cichlids have one mate whereas the African cichlids need one male to several females. Greedy Beggars

 

[meguro]

Something from the guianacara genus like bandit cichlids maybe? They're all pretty much identical in appearance and behaviour anyway. You could put 3-5 in that size tank and they're peaceful fish.

 

[snowflake311]

I have a male keyhole I love him. But he did kill my female opaline. They are fine with small schooling fish corys also plecos. But when with other same size fish they can get a little pushy. They are peacful for the most part. My opaline just could not handle the keyholes slight harassment. But that was just my fish.

 

[bagu]

Id go for apistogramma's hands down!

i think on the whole they are more desirable

 

[Bebobb]

IKt depends on the personality that you are looking for. I would get one keyhole, or a pair of apistogranmma. Either would work fine. I would get the apistogramma.

 

[kribensis12]

I would go for an Apistogramma. Such as:
Apistogramma cacatuoides : http/www.petshop-zoomania.com/CICHLIDS/A...er%20Red%27.jpg
Apistgramma borelli's : http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/american_..._borellii_1.jpg
Apistogramma ramirezi : http/www.cichlids-selection.be/images/Ap...%20Ramirezi.jpg
Apistogramma viejita : http/www.aquahobby.com/zeco/imagens/Apis...-viejita-04.jpg

 

[Bebobb]

I would go for an Apistogramma. Such as:
Apistogramma cacatuoides : [URL="http/www.petshop-zoomania.com/CICHLIDS/A...er%20Red%27.jpg"]http/www.petshop-zoomania.com/CICHLIDS/A...er%20Red%27.jpg[/URL]
Apistgramma borelli's : [URL="http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/american_..._borellii_1.jpg"]http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/american_..._borellii_1.jpg[/URL]
Apistogramma ramirezi : [URL="http/www.cichlids-selection.be/images/Ap...%20Ramirezi.jpg"]http/www.cichlids-selection.be/images/Ap...%20Ramirezi.jpg[/URL]
Apistogramma viejita : [URL="http/www.aquahobby.com/zeco/imagens/Apis...-viejita-04.jpg"]http/www.aquahobby.com/zeco/imagens/Apis...-viejita-04.jpg[/URL]

Ramirezi is not an appistogramma. It is mikrogeofagus if I am not mistaken...

 

[kribensis12]

Hmmm. That's intresting. I always thought it was an Apistogramma. Is it possible they changed the scientific name?

 

[Bebobb]

Hmmm. That's intresting. I always thought it was an Apistogramma. Is it possible they changed the scientific name?

That is what they were classified as when they first discovered in the 1940, I think that is. But then they discovered quickly that it was not right.

 

[kribensis12]

Oops! Sorry about the mis-information!

 

[ALW]

I would go for an Apistogramma. Such as:
Apistogramma cacatuoides : <a href="http/www.petshop-zoomania.com/CICHLIDS/A...er%20Red%27.jpg" target="_blank">http/www.petshop-zoomania.com/CICHLIDS/A...er%20Red%27.jpg</a>
Apistgramma borelli's : <a href="http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/american_..._borellii_1.jpg" target="_blank">http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/american_..._borellii_1.jpg</a>
Apistogramma ramirezi : <a href="http/www.cichlids-selection.be/images/Ap...%20Ramirezi.jpg" target="_blank">http/www.cichlids-selection.be/images/Ap...%20Ramirezi.jpg</a>
Apistogramma viejita : <a href="http/www.aquahobby.com/zeco/imagens/Apis...-viejita-04.jpg" target="_blank">http/www.aquahobby.com/zeco/imagens/Apis...-viejita-04.jpg</a>

Ramirezi is not an appistogramma. It is mikrogeofagus if I am not mistaken...

Correct! Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

 

[rdp50734]

i keep Apistogramma agassizii 1 male and 2 keyholes female also a red breasted acara flag cichlid and geophagus surinamensis theres no problem now but when i first added the keyholes the Apistogramma agassizii did get a bit territorial for a day flaring and such but they all get on great now!

 

[Nick16]

hasnt anyboday noticed the RTBS?

that should go first, as it gets older and bigger it will certainly eat the corries, probably the ampple snail and nearly everything else.

 

[meguro]

apistogramma, microgeophagus, mikrogeophagus

i actually think scientifically speaking, the name of the jpg itself, papiliochromis ramirezi, is correct

it doesn't really matter for this purpose anyway