Apisto's with larger fish

[Orion]

Yesterday I picked up 8 young A. agassizii. I had bought them with the intent of eventualy putting them in my 75 gallon tank with 3 Heros efaciatus once they got some size on them. I'm now having second thoughts about this, not because I'm afraid that the Heros will pick on or eat the apistos, but that the apisto's wouldn't be able to get enough at feeding time. The heros are pigs with fins, and even my tetra's have a strugle getting their own food. So how well are the apisto's to handle themselves in the face of larger competition for food? From many of the general information I've read about apisto's in general, I don't think that they would do very well due to how shy they reportedly are.

I'm already thinking of seting up a 'species only' tank for them. It won't be a true species tank, but more of a dwarf tank. I might be able to get another species of dwarf that I might put in with them.

 

[MOsborne05]

I have a pair of cockatoo apistos and they are the biggest pigs in the tank. The male has no problem going right up to the angel, who is twice his size, and stealing food from him. The angel has learned to be quick to get the food, so they all get some. The female stays toward the bottom and catches the food that falls. The New Life Spectrum pellets sink pretty easily, so what the boys don't get, the female picks up.

 

[Endl98]

my apistos are not shy either. they seem to get right up into my rams face and start. they also eat anything they see. they deffinately dont fit the whole shy mold.

 

[TheFool]

I think the apistos will hide. They are high on the diet of most larger fish, and they know it. Forget the image of cichlids proudly displaying , defending their territory against far larger adversaries - apistos are the great unwashed of the amazon basin, down there with tetras.

 

[Orion]

lol, I'd hate to think of them as low on the food chain as tetra's, but I can see that.

Thanks for the responses, but at this point I'm leaning more to a dwarf tank for these guys. I really like them and don't want to take a chance on them not getting enough food or being bullied to death.