Please help with apistogramma panduro

[TropicalNewbie442]

I've been cycling a tank and done tests for last 5 days and everything is spot on. This was meant to be for guppy/molly fry.
Anyway, I seen an ad for free apistogramma panduro, the main pair had babies and they couldn't look after them, so they needed to go or be flushed.
I couldn't let this happen and took the last pair.
They are around 3cm at the moment in a 12 gallon tank.
I've got a big piece of spider driftwood, half coconut covered in java moss and java fern plants. Will a 12 gallon be enough for just them 2 or do I need to invest in a new tank quickly?

 

[GaryE]

I used to breed that species - nice fish. A tank with a 24 inch front glass is the minimum for safety, but you have to design the tank carefully. Their life is on the floor of the tank, and what they see is theirs. I used rocks and wood to break up sightlines, and liked to have 3 half coconut caves for 2 fish, to reduce competition.
They will need very clean water - 30% changes EVERY week. They aren't forgiving if you overfeed or let things run down. They are a bit delicate.
Honestly, once they reached breeding age, a 24 inch front tank was great for photos and observation, but a 30 inch was better for managing their behaviour. Pairs don't always get along.
So whether you need a new set up depends on the real Apisto-world size of the tank. At 3cm, you probably have a few weeks, not more, before the space issue kicks in.

I used to hate selling young pairs of any Apistogramma to people who swore a 10 gallon was big enough, but I had to take the chance because I would have so many in need of homes before they started fighting for turf. When you have 30 in a 40 gallon, they have no chance longterm. A tiny chance was better than none at all. They are not good in groups. The 10 gallon buyers, from club auctions, came back, again and again, after losing one half of their pair. They were always convinced they had a big enough tank. They didn't.

 

[Naughts]

I've been cycling a tank and done tests

Can we just check how you cycled the tank?