malevolentsparkle Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 I was always planning on putting angels in my south american tank, but ive been thinking lately that given the size of my tank a group of dwarf chichlids might be a better option. I know they can be territorial so which ones would go well together? I really like rams, and apistos look pretty cool but theres so many types and I'm not sure whats available. any advice? lowtech planted south american tank, 155L 900lx30wx45d. pH 6.5, soft water. 25degrees. currently have cardinal tetras and a geophasus juripari. i am willing to get rid of the geophagus as he'll get too big at some point anyway. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 Maybe have the pH lower - about 5. If your after some Dwarf Cichlids, I've got some Laetacara curviceps (Dwarf Flag) for sale. They're $5.00 each. They are a stunning fish and get on well in a community tank. You can even keep them in small groups. They like densly-planted tanks, and I've found they also enjoy oak leaves on the substrate (most dwarfs do). They are amazingly hardy, very colourful, and they have a wonderful parental instinct when it comes to breeding. I've found Dwarf Cichlids like a temperature of about 26-28c. The cardinal tetras will also enjoy all this, as the are naturally found in the same area as a lot of dwarf cichlids. Other dwarfs that will go well in your tank that are hardy and pretty are: Various rams Apisto. agassizi Apisto. trifasciata Apisto. bitaeniata Apisto. 'Steel Blue' Apisto. eunotus Laetacara curviceps Nannacara anomala Hemihaplochromis multicolor Different species of Kribensis (I highly recommend wild kribs. They're sooooo pretty) Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 wow thats a pretty low pH. how would I get it that low? is there any worry about those fish fighting? I would want to get 2 or 3 different species if I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 A.bitaeniata are gone from NZ unless I have missed something. I kept the blackwater fish at pH of about 4.5 -5 and the whitewater ones at about 6ish. Water quality is always more impotant than anything, followed by hardness and then pH. They do like leaf litter and tree roots or driftwood and because they are quite similar to geo's they also like fine gravel or sand they can sift through a bit. Dwarfs are lovely little fish and I am sure you will enjoy keeping them. We have a few breeders starting to come through to so hopefully more on the market soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 A.bitaeniata are gone from NZ unless I have missed something. Oh really, that's sad . You can keep Kribs, rams, apistos and flags together without problems. Just make sure that you don't put too many males together of the apistos because apparently they fight. For your sized tank you could put in a pair of kribs, a couple of pairs of flags, a group of rams, and maybe 2 or 3 trios of different sorts of apistos. Or you could ditch the others and fill you tank up with diffeent apisto species! Just make sure that the species aren't similar to each other (colour, shape, size etc.) or they could interbreed. Like for example tris and agassizis are diffeent, so they'd be fine, but if you put steel blues and borellis together they might interbreed. In fact, steel blues are a mutation, and borellis were used to make them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 cool that sounds heaps cooler than angels! a couple more questions. currently im running with proper pH 6.5 with plenty of wood in the tank. Ive also got a box filter with peat in it to soften the water. last time i did a gH test it was about 80ppm. will that be ok or will i need to lower the pH even more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 Oh really, that's sad . ...... but if you put steel blues and borellis together they might interbreed. In fact, steel blues are a mutation, and borellis were used to make them. Yes it is sad. I have 2 males that are destined to live out their days without seeing a female. I am not going into the debate about where A. sp. steelblue came from but sadly borellii are not here either. My limited info said that the last 2 shipments all died in QT and no has any left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 ... sadly borellii are not here either. My limited info said that the last 2 shipments all died in QT and no has any left. That's what I heard too, and possibly that the importers are very reluctant to get them in again because they are prone to disease. currently im running with proper pH 6.5 with plenty of wood in the tank. Ive also got a box filter with peat in it to soften the water. last time i did a gH test it was about 80ppm. will that be ok or will i need to lower the pH even more? I keep mine in soft neutral Christchurch tap water with only bog wood and CO2 to lower the pH to about 6.8. Temp is at 24-25. They tend to be mostly bottom dwellers and develop a territory of more than a couple of feet if you let them. To a tank of your size I would consider adding one harem of 3 females and one male and perhaps a large shoal of dwarf danios (I find danios to be some of the best dither fish for these guys and the small varieties of danio are much better at leaving fry alone than tetras are). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 so im currently thinking: pair of rams pair of dwarf flags pair of Apisto. agassizi plus: 1x whiptail 9x cardinal tetras that sound ok? too many? better to get more than a pair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 If you want, you can add about 2 more pairs of rams and flags, and a couple of pairs of other apisto species. It's basically like stocking an African cichlid tank, except your using dwarf cichlids. These species will coexist happily, but make sure the tank is REALLY densly planted and that they have lots of retreats in the form of bogwood and rocks ect. But keep in mind the plants will need there space too, so choose carefully where you place retreats. The retreats must be spread out through the tank too, not all in one corner. The rams don't need retreats, and will enjoy the really lush plant growth. Use JBL Aquabasis underneath your main substrate (which should be fine or coarse sand, or fine gravel. The fish prefer dark colours too). Have the substrate about 10cm high or more (about 3-5cm Aquabasis, and 5-7cm sand/fine gravel). Dose the tank with liquid fertilisers too, because the plants will benifit from it. Use Flourish Excel and Comprehensive. If you don't want to use Aquabasis, use JBL Root Balls instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 wow thats a lot of fish. I might start with the 3 species and go from there. already got lots of plants and I'm on the lookout for more bogwood. I should take a photo of my tank to see what everyone thinks. Also I'm keen to get NZ bred fish i possible. so if anyone is breeding in auckland or close then let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 Yeah you don't have to get them all at once. Just start with a few, and work your way up. I should take a photo of my tank to see what everyone thinks. Good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 Do not put a pair of agazzi in there; the female may rip the male to shreds if she lays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 If you want, you can add about 2 more pairs of rams and flags, and a couple of pairs of other apisto species. It's basically like stocking an African cichlid tank, except your using dwarf cichlids. I would disagree with this, you don't overstock dwarf cichlids to spread aggression, you will most likely end up with dead fish this way. I would recommend 1 harem like Jen has said, or maybe 2 pairs if you've got it densely planted. If you add too many species and one or more start breeding you have a whole heap of trouble unless you can separate them to another tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 hmmm. I see ive started a war here how does 2 harems sound. they get half the tank each. Rams are a must so what else would be good for the other half? I'm not trying to breed them but if they do I want them to be safe. I may set up another tank just so i have more options but it wont be pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 Rams are pair breeders, not harem breeders so you could do a pair of those and a pair of apisto's. I think that would work. well enough. Your tank isn't really big enough for too much I'm afraid, males can have territories of 2 square feet and females 1 square foot at least (this is apisto's). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 Antwans right. They don't behave like africans, and all it will land up in sad faces all around. None sadder than who ever pays $50 each for the agazzi haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 thats how much they cost? maybe something cheeper for my first lot of dwarfs! how much do dwarf flags go for roughly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 most apistos are expensive. steel blues are cheap cause everyone has bred them flags are usually like $5-10 off a breeder. $15 in a shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 ok rams and dwarf flags it is! ram=pair flag=harem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 Both pairs. both peaceful as ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 sweet. that still sounds cool. will they tolerate any other fish in the tank? say a headstander of some kind of some surface dwelling fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 Yeah they'll be fine with other fish. I still have lots of flags for sale if you want to buy some. They're $5.00 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 how does shipping work? never done it before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 I've never shipped fish before either, so I don't know anything about it. Maybe if you know someone in Auckland coming down here that could bring the fish back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.