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Looking for the dwarf enthusiasts here ! I need your help.

I'm getting 4 domestic bred german blue rams and a pair of apistos, prob A.cac or A. agassii. Looking for experienced opinions to help maximize my setup..

Current setups
29 gal, heavily plant, guppies, platys, clown loach, unknown small loach that stays in gravel, 7 amano shrimp, 2 small BN plecos. Very understocked.

UPDATE - Now have 40 gal breeder tank 36x18Wx14H
to replace the 29. More room for plants/fish !

10 gal - 8 red cherry shrimp, some baby java ferns and java moss.

5 gal - paradise gourami, no filter or heater.. Is a large java fern, and hornwort.

POSSIBLE SWAPS - 10 gal to 15 gal (24x12x12)

What fish should I put where ?
Thinking of the apistos in the larger tank and german blues in the smaller.. At first though, they may be in the same tank as I decide whether to sell the red cherry shrimp or figure out a nanotank.. Note: do not have room for additional tanks really.

Should I sell the amanos and clown loach ?
Should I hold my red cherries for now and add lots of moss to it and put fry in with them ?

Any advise ?






Last edited by DaFishMan at 09-Jul-2005 01:57

The Amazon Nut...

In my experience, it's best to separate the rams from the apistos. Apistos get much bigger and have a nastier character, which means they will will terrorise the rams. It can work if the tank is big enough and if there's enough plants and visible territories for each couple, but apistos are still going to give the rams a hard time as they recognise the rams as their natural enemies while they leave other similar sized fish alone. Female apistos are especially nasty towards rams, even when not breeding.

I would keep the rams together. Not only they are more likely to get along with each other, it will also be a nice spectacle and will also keep the boys busy from harassing the girls. 40 gallons is more than enough for them and they will flourish.

The apistos can go into the 29 gallons, if you still have it, or the 10 gallons. Provide a cave for the female and some other fish as target fish.

I would keep the apistos in the smaller tank as the female's territory is only around the cave and they don't usually roam around the tank. The rams, however, are much more likely to swim around and as they need two territories, one for each couple (or one for each male) they hardly ever cross the line that divides their territories. They will be some flaring when they do get close, and an ocassional fight if they cross it, but nothing serious.

If you have only one clown loach you're better off without it, but I would keep the amano shrimps.

Hope this helps.

Edit:
one more thing about the apistos. If you are going to keep them in a tank by themselves, I would advise you to get two females and one male instead of a couple and place a cave on each end of the tank for the females to claim territories. Apisto males can become quite aggressive towards their female if they want them to breed and female is not ready. This might put her under more stress which will make her even less likely to breed and then more aggressiveness... Might even end in the death of the female. Then again, after the female has spawned, she will not let the male near the cave and might kill him if he insists. Having two females means that the male's aggression is divided between the two females and is also reduced by his need to "police" the females. It also means that once one female has spawned, the male can busy himself with the other female.
On top of that, it is visually nicer. The females will have a competition going on between them and will occasionally flare at each other or just flare.
This setup of one male for two females has always worked better for me than only a pair. Even in the 10 gallons tank, or especially there, as it is smaller, this would be a good idea in my opinion.

Last edited by untitled at 09-Jul-2005 05:56

This is a big help, thanks

Got the apistos Sunday from a store in Toronto called Menagerie, small fish section, but cool fish and great plant selection. The apistos were only avail as pairs, domestic bred, Apistogramma agassizii 'red's, and they are rather young and smallish still. Colors quite nice though, nice little pair and they 'hang out' together. I've put them into the 10 as you suggested, to quarantine and adjust, and 'drip acclimated' them. The rams I've put off until I can cleanup the 40 gal breeder (got Friday) and swap with the 29, which will be sold.. I may swap the 10 for a 15 later on.. Please feel free to post with further ideas.. Going to put a black background on the tank now so it's not so 'open'.

Last edited by DaFishMan at 11-Jul-2005 20:59

The Amazon Nut...