pH and temperature for Apistos...

[foo]

Hi to all those with apisto fever... i know i do... hehehehe

I am wanting to start an apisto tank that is heavily planted and with maybe one discus in it... At the moment I have a 50litre tank that is heavily planted and was wondering wat I need to know before taking the plunge...

I have discus but not sure if the water conditions are the same for both...

My planted tank is at pH6.5 with light salt content... do i need to change any of the water perimeters... at the moment my discus are in a 250litre tank and are used to a pH of 6.6 - 6.4 and at 32°C... i have rams that are awesome in those water conditions...

I am thinking of getting 'inka 50s' but want to know if the above water conditions would be okay for them...

Thanks

Pete

[steph]

HI Pete

The pH is fine the temperature would be too hot for most Apistos, they prefer in the 25-27C range.

Blue Rams would be ok up to 30C

What size is your 50litre? Apistos love a heavily planted tank, it makes them feel very comfortable. Soft water is preferable, so Im not sure what you mean by a light salt content.

Cheers

Steph

[foo]

Hi Steph,

Coool... thanks for feedback...

I think its been a habit to add abit of salinity to the water i guess... since it helps the fish fight against bacteria and other nasties...

hmmmm maybe i wont have a discus together with the apistos if the temperature is at 25°C... might be too cold for them...

the planted tank is 1.8x 1.8x 1.8.. i've got 2 arf gouramis in there at the moment... but would like apistos 'inka 50s' or similiar tooo...


Pete

[parkap]

Hi Pete,

When I did my first dislay tank set up a few years ago, I had discus with other community fish. Then a very kind LFS owner suggested a.cacatuoides as an additional community fish - and hence my love affair with apistogrammas began.

However what I found over time is exactly what steph has suggested, the pH is fine for discus and apistogrammas but the water temperature isn't. I tried to find a happy medium and set the water temp at the top end for apistos and bottom for discus - approx. 27.5.

All seemed to be doing great - although this was merely a display tank and I wasn't encouraging any breeding, etc. The impact of this "happy" medium in temperature ws that while everything was good, it was good, but as soon as I got one little disease outbreak, it went crazy as the water parameters weren't optimal for either of them.

However, even more than now, I had very little knowledge on good husbandry for fish let alone, specific species. If you do you research you might be able to find an apisto species that can handle higher temperatures.

Peter.

[Th0mas]

Despite lots of people believed apisto and discus can co-exist in a tank, but like parkap mentioned, it balance that can tip either way easily.

Although discus pH might be okay for some apisto (cacs, trifasciata, aggie, etc). It is not optimal for others (panduro, veijita, etc). The average pH of my apisto grow out tank is about 5, but can be up to 6.5 at the time of water change.

Then there is the instinct of discus going after apisto. I've seen a pack of hungry discus destroyed several newly introduced apisto in a matter of minutes. Not a nice sight indeed.

Hence your selection will be limited if the plan is to keep discus and apisto in the same tank. The higher temperature will also reduce the lifespan of apisto (as if they're not short enough already).

Thomas.

[foo]

Ladies and Gents.... Thank you for ur feedbacks and experiences with apistos..

I have taken in ur feedback and weighed the pros and cons in keeping discus and apistos in the same tank.... basically its not worth it...

I think my main concern is if there is a fungal infection then its going to be a hair tearing experience and a constant worry... especially if apistos cannot handle higher temperatures... it will be a whole new text to treating fungal or infections without the aid of temperature and salt... sigh..

I also learnt that feeding discus worms is a positive thing and is encouraed by many especially a mixed diet... but if that little apisto get its mouth on a few of that black worm and red worm then it will die tooo... so feeding habits will also be different and my discus isnt gonna like it if they dont get worms in their tummy...

From what i have read... apistos are sensitive to medications that can be used safely on discus... so i think after careful consideration... i might have to leave the lush green and red fauna for just apistos and leave my discus as they are...

Also dont really want to see an inka 50 sticking out of my discus's mouth too... ouch...

... I really want an inka 50... and would like advise on other apistos that would do great with it... and how many can be kept in a 50litre... im thinking 2 or 3...

I'll be correcting the water parameters tonight and hopefully be able to get afew this weekend...

correct me if i'm worng...

pH = 6.5
temperature = 25 - 27°C
No need for salt...

can i have dwarf gouramis together??


Pete

[steph]

Your best bet is to get 2 or 3 A. baenschi (Inka 50) in the tank. IF its very heavily planted you may be able to keep 2 pairs but easily 1 M 2F.

If you only want males then maybe an A. agassizi or A. borelli as well. _most_ apistos mix, aggressiveness comes down to individuals not species.

Cheers

Steph

[Th0mas]

One species you'll need to avoid at all cost - the panduro.

So far I've found the baenschi is pretty agressive, and panduro is probably the most agressive species I've seen so far.

I do have both species hosted in the same tank, but with plenty of other apisto that divert their agression on.

Whenever the male of baenschi and panduro come together, you'll expect both to flare up pretty quickly. In my case, the panduro will always be the winner as they're older fish (about twice the size of the biggest male Inka I have).

The last time I went and checked (last week), there are still Inkas of both genders available.

Thomas.

[wickedglass]

I keep my A. caetei in a tank at 28C and they're thriving, but discus like it a couple of degrees higher than that. Although in saying that, I've successfully kept and bred discus at 27C.

[fishgeek]

dwarf cichlids are very wide ranging and all of the above comments are true

they do however range from 20- 30degree temperatures in nature , higher temperatures are not to be permanent and usually coincide with breeding
certainly in nature these fish are usually annuals , not surviving longer than the dry season as adults
temperature fluctuations are important for increasing life span both seasonally and diurnally

asto pH and harness most can be maintained between 6.5 and 7.5 pH
and almost all can be bred at hardness of less than 10 Gh

i ahve neever attempted to keep discus so i will not comment on their compatability

andrew