apistogrammas

lioness501

can someone please give me some info on these guys. i have fallen in love with them! r they species only set up or can they b community? wat space do they need? any special requirements?? all i have heard is that they r aggressive but thats all..........

Mr.Todd

Check it out!

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...catid=1087&N=0

They look fun! :P :P :P :P :P

lioness501

thanks for the link mr todd! was wondering if anyone from here has experience with them and whether they can go into a community aquarium.

Falina

As far as I know they can go into a community aquarium with a bit of caution. If they spawn they can beocme agressive.

I know that daisycutter has a pair in her comminuty aquarium. You'll see exactly what fish if you view her tank.

A lot of people are very fond of these cics because of their size, and relatively speaking, peaceful nature.

leifthebunny

I've got a pair of flametails. Outside of the rams, they are pretty placid fish. Though they do tend to get a bit touchy. I have actually noticed "panic attacks" in my female apisto, and they do require clean water. The referenced link above says well planted tank, I would strongly agree with that statement, plus, the more pairs you want to put in the tank, the more plants you will need. Make sure that the plants are more than just low lying ground cover as well. I would recommend driftwood in the tank as well to help soften the water. Make sure you cure the driftwood to get the bulk of the color staining out before adding the driftwood.

lioness501

i already have driftwood and also plants! so hopefully i could have a pair then!!! thats good, i saw some in a fish shop that i dont usually go to and he said that i shouldnt put them in with ram as they would fight?

Lupin

Apistos and rams are still cichlids so the chances of them bickering with each other is still there. Provide plenty of plants, woods and rocks to be able to keep both without letting them duel each other too much causing damages between themselves. Note that apistos are known to confine themselves in caves during spawning so they will readily try to mark their territories whereas rams spawn openly and are not likely to establish territories permanently until spawning time anyway where they choose a spot to spawn on. Rams strut their way across open areas dominating each other and even bullying other fish if they see it necessary to do so.

Good luck with your new acquisitions.;) You'll definitely have fun watching them.

lioness501

i have not yet aquired them as the guy at the lfs said no way they can b in a community tank, but since u guys have given some advice from experience i think i may go out at the weekend and buy a couple! thanks a lot :):)

leifthebunny

I lost a number of fish figuring this out. :( My rams were only attacking themselves until the golds spawned, then they started even attacking the gouramis. Unfortunately, my rams are the weakest fish in the tank and even my smallest (a male flametail apisto) beats up on my two gold rams simultaneously while they protect their eggs.

lioness501

is it best to get a pair or would it b ok to get 2 females? or males? then they wouldnt b as aggressive right?