Stocking 30Gal. Blackwater

[FreshwaterAfishianado]

My wife and I both really enjoy south American fish, so we decided we want to try an amazon style black water tank. It will be 30 gallons filtered with an aqua clear 50. All sand substrate and heavily planted with plenty of bog wood and hidey-holes for the fish.
The problem is I'm not very knowledgeable of these soft-water fish and our tap water is fairly hard with a ph of 7.4. I planned on using a mix of RO and yap water and utilizing Pete and the wood to balance the ph and hardness where we want it but not sure exactly how to go about it safely for the fish, any advice?
Also I wanted to be sure our stocking wouldn't cause any problems, here's the plan;
2x A. Agassizii
2x A. Elizabethae
5x Diamond Tetra
6x Panda Cory
I'm open to suggestions on different apistos as I don't know much about them but find them stunning. Would all of these fish get along and live comfortably in a 30 gallon?

 

[attibones]

What is the footprint of your tank? What I'm seeing is a lot of bottom dwellers which could prove difficult later, all depending on the base dimensions of the tank. I would probably only do one pair of apistos, bump up the number of tetras, and then do six corydoras as you've stated. I would do this because, while peaceful in nature, the bare minimum for a single pair of many dwarf cichlids is thirty gallons. I don't know much about the requirements of the diamond tetra, but if you make a larger school, you'll see them swimming more tightly, there will be a lesser chance of nipping the other fish, and you'll get to enjoy the very social nature of tetras. The same could be said for the corydoras (minus the nipping), but you've only got so much floor space to work with.

 

[FreshwaterAfishianado]

I'm not sure what the exact dimensions are for the tank, I'm buying it along with a 55 gal. Can't setup the 55 yet as I live in a fairly small apartment. He says its either a 30 or 40 gallon, I was going on the assumption it was the smaller.

 

[techen]

7.4 ph is not high it's fine as most fish will adjust to this anyway. Also a lot of bogwood will slowly lower the ph too.

 

[TooManyChoices]

My thoughts:
 
1) Much better with a solo pair of apisto's.
 
2) That pH isn't too high but Elizabethae probably won't fair well with it in the long term. I know at least where I am most Elizabethae tend to be wild caught pairs (around $185 I've seen them for, a fair bit to fork out for incorrect water parameters to kill them). From my knowledge Agassizi's will adapt better to this pH, I prefer Elizabethae though... up to you. A low pH is pretty achievable though. 
 
3) More Diamond tetra's, aim for 8 or 10. 
 
4) Corys are fine IMO, some people will suggest that they will hassle/be hasseled by the apisto's
 
If you want to go the biotope looking route this is what you should be aiming for:
 
[VIDEO]https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3PXChKZ8SA[/VIDEO]
 
Obviously with a more black water look to your tank though. 

Also keep in mind, not many, if any plants grow in true black water environments. 

 

[DrRob]

I've had agassizi that killed cories that got too close and ended up with the shoal having to be removed, but I've also had them ignore them. It seems to be more of an issue when they pair off in my experience.
 
Footprint is an issue for territory, a 40 gallon long would have very different options to a 30 gallon breeder as the fish will be able to get further away from each other.

 

[FreshwaterAfishianado]

Are there any apistos that would fit the biotope that have a more mild disposition? I don't know a whole lot about apistos, I live their appearance but wouldn't want to create an unsafe or overly stressful environment for any of the fish.
So what would work better might be something like this?
2x A. Agassizi (or other apisto)
8x Diamond Tetra
6x Panda Cory
Are there any snails that would fit this biotope as well? Or would the apistos just eat them?
I use zebra snails in my community tank and they work great for keeping algae off of rocks and the glass.
Ty for all of your advice you've been very helpful, I'm glad I found this forum, everyone on here seems very friendly and knowledgeable.

 

[TooManyChoices]

 
 
Are there any snails that would fit this biotope as well?

 
I'm a nazi when it come to the use of the word 'biotope', it implies an aquarium in which all of the livestock are from the EXACT same area in the wild, plants included, even rocks and wood needs to be chosen carefully!
 
I'm not sure if your planned stocking is biotope correct, I'll leave that research for you!
 
Would you be happy to omit corydoras from the tank?

 

[FreshwaterAfishianado]

OK well it may not be a strict "biotope" but I am trying to go for an overall black water/amazon-ish theme. As for the corys I am always open to suggestions, especially if it would make the tank more natural or less stressful for the fish. I just included the panda corys because I know they're Amazonian and I have some in my 20gal right now. They're really interesting little fish and seem to have more personality than any of the other fish I've owned, but that's been limited to livebearers, a few bettas and a few species of Cory so far.

 

[TooManyChoices]

In my opinion, it's worth the risk of at least TRYING the corys in with the apisto's

Also I think you should go for a strict biotope. They're a challenge, not done often and look simply spectacular!

 

[DrRob]

To try to answer your question, apistos aren't really all that aggressive, however they are cichlids and they are territorial, which is what makes them so much more interesting that many of the other fish you've listed. If you want personality, go for cichlids (disclaimer before the comments start, there are other fish with personality, this is a generalisation), which is why so many of us keep them.

 

[FreshwaterAfishianado]

OK, so if I wanted to try a strict biotope how would I go about my research? Can anyone suggest a good online source? (Besides this wonderful community of course) Pretty much all of the info I know I have either gotten from this forum or seriouslyfish.com. It would be a fun challenge to try and replicate an exact natural habitat for the fish.

 

[TooManyChoices]

Seriously fish is good. Do you have access to university library's? I'm sure that'd be a great source!

 

[DrRob]

http/fish.mongabay.com/biotope.htm

 

[TooManyChoices]

Apistogramma Elizabethae from seriously fish: http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/apistogramma-elizabethae/
 
Distribution: 
 

 
Described from the lower rio Uaupés, Amazonas state, northwestern Brazil and appears to occur only in that drainage and the adjacent rio Içana, both of which are tributaries of the upper rio Negro system.
Type locality is ‘affluent of Rio Uaupés at Trovao, about 20 kilometers from mouth of Uaupés, 0°02′N, 67°26′W, Amazonas State, Brazil’.
 

 
Corydoras Panda from seriously fish: http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-panda/
 
Distribution:
 

 
 
Native to parts of the upper Amazon in Peru. You’ll find it difficult to get hold of wild specimens these days, though. Virtually all of the fish entering the trade are produced commercially on farms. Most of the ones on sale in the UK originate from Eastern Europe or the Far East. These captive-bred fish are generally more hardy and adaptable than their wild counterparts, having been raised in conditions far removed from their natural habitat.

Much less precise. 
 
Diamond Tetra from seriously fish:
 
Distribution: http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/moenkhausia-pittieri/
 

 
 
Endemic to Lake Valencia and surrounding waters, Venezuela.

Here's a great video of them in the wild, from the sounds of it they're quite a rare find in the wild:
[VIDEO]https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n00Hgzi1Js[/VIDEO]
 
So, already, we can see that these fish are from markedly different areas ahhh, the challenge of biotope is revealed! I cringe to think trying to figure out what plants come from where. To me, this is the essence of aquarium keeping, a real challenge! Hope it does put you off! I find it fascinating!