Male Macmasteri with female viejitas??

[Elisabeth83]

I cannot find any Macmasteri females in my area and I just got an email newsletter from a shop near me that they got in some apisto viejitas. From things I've read these species are very closely related with some people believing they are actually only 1 species.

What I'm wondering is would my male macmasteri be happy with 2 female viejitas ? Would they act like normal macmasteri male and females would act? Is these a big difference between the 2 species?

I'm still not 100% my macmasteri is a macmasteri...he looks in some pics like a macmasteri and in other pics like a viejita

 

[freddyk]

They are closely related, but different. In your shoes I'd find a home for the Mcmasteri and get some Viejita's, since they are available to you. I haven't kept them, but it's my understanding that they won't work as a harem, and in the end you'll end up with a pair (not that there's anything wrong with that).

 

[Elisabeth83]

Hmmm ok, Well could I just keep the mcmasteri in a smaller tank on his own? Is it so bad to keep him on his own? I mean if I take the him to a shop he's just going to be alone there too and I really like the guy and would rather not part with him.

I don't want to keep him in a 30 gallon by himself as that's kind of a waste of space. I'd rather move him out and get a trio of another type of apisto ..maybe try some cockatoos or something.

If I moved him to another smaller tank (14.5 gallons) I'd probably keep some small shaoling fish with and some otos or something.

 

[Katchan]

I've had and almost successfully bred (strange the eggs kept dissapearing ) both blue rams and cacatuoides at the same time in a community 14 gallon (2'*1'*1') it also had some guppies (1m/2f) and a bristlenose and a applesnail, the tank has been setup since last weekend as a pure cacatuoides breeding tank.

This required good tank maintinance (spot on weekly water changes) and a few caves, moderatly planted but other than that its was a great little tank so a community based around your mac is easily possible, HTH

Katchan

 

[freddyk]

katchen, the only point you may have overlooks is that rams are rams and apistogramma are apistogramma, but mcmasteri are apistogramma and viejita's are apistogramma - it's different.

 

[CFC]

Appistogramma viejita is also quite a exception to the rule with SA dwarfs as they are fairly aggressive for a small fish, the pair i had a few years ago killed several Corydoras and a few other fish which they considered a threat to their territory and that was in a 30g tank.

 

[Elisabeth83]

I'll definitely not get any viejitas then. Well he's just going to have to live on his own for awhile then. If I happen to find some females then I'll probably get 2 but if not then he'll to be happy the way things are now.

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[Katchan]

katchen, the only point you may have overlooks is that rams are rams and apistogramma are apistogramma, but mcmasteri are apistogramma and viejita's are apistogramma - it's different.

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Was just pointing out you can keep most apistos (max of 2 any type)fairly happily in a well maintained and set up 14 gallon community tank, I know the dif between ram and apistos, just having trouble finding a site that gives good acurate descriptions of how to tell exactly what apisto you have, if you dont have one of the more common ones or common colour variations

katchan