55 gallon apistogramma tank idea

[fishydude22]

Would a 55 gallon tank be able to have an apistogramma community tank?. *celebrate
If so, which apisto's can live in harmony with eachother?. And what should the water requirements be. Like ph,temperature,kh,gh,anything like that. I'm doing research on apistogrammas. I think an apisto community tank would be cool.

 

[fishlawyer]

fishy (or dude) --

Sounds good to me. I love apistos myself, but at the time am only keeping Apisto. Panduro, and some similarly peaceful/docile Bolivian Rams (Microgeophagus Altispinosa?), "Smile Cichlids" (Laetacara Dorsigera), and Checkerboard Cichlids (Dicrossus Filementosa).

I'm not an expert by any means, but I think that an apisto community tank will need a sufficient number of territories for the various types. I like Cockatoos, Borellii, and Agasizii -- relatively common apistos -- but my Panduros have nice coloration. Beyond apistos and the other dwarves I noted above, I think those Golden Eye Cichlids (Nannacara Annomola) would be a good addition. Check out www.thekrib.com for ideas/info.

As you've probably already read, apistos will need softer, lower pH water, as well as heaters if you're in a cool place. You might want some good driftwood or bogwood, as well as some peat moss to help you with the water conditions.

As I noted, I'm no authority at all, but if you haven't picked up the tank yet, a 40 gallon long might work out better -- I think that shy S.A. dwarf cichlids don't make that much use out of the top of a tall tank, preferring the lower portions. Also, a "long" tank would allow much greater light penetration for vigorous plant growth, which would make the apistos/dwarves pretty happy.

Good luck, and make sure to take some pictures for everybody here to see.

 

[wayne at home]

No, I tihnk it will be super hard to get working well. I think you're better off going for a more realistic 'river bed' colony with lots of the same apisto.
You really need to have a good root thro' the krib.com and look on there for David Soares stocking levels for a 55.
Water requirements vary from fish to fish. The panduro mentioned are 'blackwater fish' - warm , dark, very acid water. Many others , such as those from Peru desire cooler, soft , moderately acid water.
Apistos are great, and the ability/desire to research will give you continual success. There are many myths and untrue 'truths' about these fish, and all are different. I found panduro to be mean as heck, especially my 3 1/2 inch wild caught male.

 

[fishlawyer]

Wayne --

In the "it's a small world" department, I bought my panduros from Dave Soares via Aquabid. As a matter of fact, I think that Dave is the person who put together some multi-territoried apisto tank a little while back.

I haven't found my panduro to be too aggressive, although I suppose YMMV (your mileage may vary) -- mine are residing with my Laetacara and Checkerboards.

I do agree with you that this type of endeavor, however, is probably too difficult. Nonetheless, with the variety of apistos, as you mentioned, I think it is still feasible to get a few different types in a tank of that size. Further, it appears that fishydude here is willing to do the homework/research -- which is an admirable thing these days -- too many people just jump into such projects without such groundwork.

 

[moricollins]

i personally wouldn't mix the apistos... a community/species tank is much nicer IMO, nothing could beat a group (6-7) of apsitos with some nice dithers (maybe neons) a whole school of tetras (18 or 20) would look awesome in there, and the constant movement would make your apistos very comfortable. add some cories to clean up, and bang, there you have a great tank.

 

[SoulFish]

heres a link to a 1500 gallon apisto tank, doesnt give much info but its neat http://screamindragcharters.50megs.com/NickClip3.mpg

 

[wayne]

My panduro were truly brutal. I can believe they'd coexist with the dicrossus very well though.
I thought Daves tanks had lots of the same rather than a variety of species?