Male Apisto as a centerpiece fish?

[AquaStudent]

I've been thinking of venturing out into some New World cichlids and want to know some more about some of the dwarf CA/SA's.

Right now my set-up is limited to a 10 gallon which is quite limited in stocking.

The old stocking on the tank was a betta community. My super-delta tail betta, Vesuvius, passed away about a month ago leaving me with a school of 10 very old neons (they've been getting pretty scraggly with their age).

Anyway, I'm trying to decide in which direction to take the tank. Would a lone apisto (depending on the species, because I'm sure I can't throw a generalization over the entire family) be happy in a planted 10 gallon as a centerpiece fish?

A few of the apistos that have caught my eye:
Apisto cacatuoides "Triple Red"
apisto agassizi
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Apisto borellii
Quite frankly, I don't know enough about all the species to say which one in particular I like best. Suggestions are welcome



My situation is a bit tricky. I'm a senior in college and will be graduating in May assuming I don't MAJORLY mess up. I have 7 graduate school applications out (currently have been accepted to the Master's of Physics at SUNY Albany and am on the waitlist for the doctorate program, and am high on the waitlist for Montana State U's Ph.D physics program) so I don't know where I'll be 3 months from now. Once I get settled somewhere I would love to start up a small breeding population, primarily with either Apistos or mbuna/haps/peacocks (depending on what I can set up). But because I am not certain of when I can upgrade I don't want to invest in a pair of apistos because they will be limited to the 10g for at least a few months. From what I saw at January's CCA meeting a 10g can work very well for a breeding tank but I'm certain the neons would not survive a breeding pair of Apistos (right?)

I'm rambling and procrastonating from my calculus proofs at this point so if you happened to be bored enough to read all of that thanks and maybe try stumbleupon instead to cure your boredom.

Thanks!
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[Avatar]

Plenty of room

Borellis are too small to savage much of anything - if you come to the next meeting might be able to hook you up.

 

[JLW]

Borelli are really nice, but typically lack the super wow colours of some of the others.
Agassizi are nice, but lack the fins that the Cockatoos have ...

So... I like the Cockatoos, even if they're not a particularly natural looking fish.

 

[zackcrack00]

What about a pair of ram cichlids?

 

[AquaStudent]

Aren't rams a bit too large for a 10g?

That reminds me of Sam's talk at the January meeting. It's your goal to selectively breed more of the red in the GBR species right? That would be so neat!

Please forgive me for being uneducated in this. Are cockatoos (the same as the Triple Red if I remember correctly) an artificially bred species (or do they just look funky compared to most of the other species). I don't mind the artificiality too much but it's something to consider.

Thanks for the offer Mr. LaBudde. I probably will not be back in the area for the April meeting (although I haven't planned that far ahead. Maybe I can take another trip home for the weekend).

EDIT: Apistograma cacatuoides = "cockatoo" I get it

 

[Red Nose Rummy]

Have you considered Apistogramma Panduro?

My male and female are absolutely wonderful, and to me more colorful overall than my triple red's.

 

[AquaStudent]

I am willing to consider just about anything A. panduro is a name I've heard relatively often and I do like some of the photos (from a google image search).

It's so hard to tell the colors of these guys because a camera often doesn't pick it up (or even sometimes lies).

I'm sure it also depends heavily on the specific strain the fish comes from.

Out of curiosity, how are pairs usually formed? If I recall correctly for most mbunas the pairs are hard to predict so usually a breeder will get a small group of males and a larger group of females and let them decide.
Are apistos that picky? If I picked up a male, and then a few months down the road a female, would there be a reasonably plausible pair success rate?

 

[Avatar]

Very reasonable

IME Apistos are sort of "bloom where you're planted" types. I also have panduro pairs - and inkas/baenschi.

 

[Beeman]

Hey Sam, I'd be interested in a pair or threesome of those inka/baenschi if you have enough available

 

[Avatar]

Done

April meeting.

 

[AquaStudent]

Here are shots of the tank as it looks right now. It could use an artist's touch (which will probably not come from me anytime soon).

 

[Beeman]

IME Apistos are sort of "bloom where you're planted" types. I also have panduro pairs - and inkas/baenschi.

Hey Sam, can you put together a threesome of the panduro to go along with the inkas for me? April meeting yes?

 

[Avatar]

Doubtful

A pair yes. Will have to take stock of the stock first to promise anything more and won't "widow" a male for the sake of a trio.

 

[Beeman]

Will take it as it comes. Thanks Sam