Apistogrammas

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Dreamroper

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Messages
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Location
Peyton, CO
Hello Everyone,

I had never heard of this fish until today and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them that you would like to share?

I love Rams and have a few Bolivian Rams right now, but I would love to get a male Apistogramma if they're not too touchy, since they're pretty pricey.

Thanks for any information.
D
 
The video I saw on YouTube talked about the Cacatuoides, but since I know zero about this fish I have no clue what to even look at.
 
The video I saw on YouTube talked about the Cacatuoides, but since I know zero about this fish I have no clue what to even look at.
Well. I'll tell you about this amazing invention! Its called Google!! You can literally find all the information you'd ever need with the click of a button!!!
 
That was partially a joke. Seriously though. Do some research before you make any purchases. Cacs are pretty hardy bit you want to sorce them correctly. They can get washed out through excessive line breeding
 
I had actually read quite a bit about them online before I posted the question. I have no intention of breeding, I just liked their color. The only source I can find so far is Ebay and they're pretty expensive. I was looking for people here that actually kept them in their tanks and what their experiences were with them.

Thanks,
D
 
cockatoo are pretty easy to keep. They are not overly aggressive or fussy eaters. i would actually recommend borelli over cockatoo if you are looking for a pretty fish that is easy to keep but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder as they say. Apistogramma is a genus and so you must always refer to the specific species as some apistogramma are really quite aggressive or more difficult to keep than others. When it comes to the genus of apisto there is no one shoe fits all as they say.
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I also recommend that if you go with cockatoo or borelli you do obtain 1 or 2 females as it will give you a chance to observe the full behavior of the fishes and colouring as they do change colours based on moods.
 
cockatoo are pretty easy to keep. They are not overly aggressive or fussy eaters. i would actually recommend borelli over cockatoo if you are looking for a pretty fish that is easy to keep but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder as they say. Apistogramma is a genus and so you must always refer to the specific species as some apistogramma are really quite aggressive or more difficult to keep than others. When it comes to the genus of apisto there is no one shoe fits all as they say.
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I also recommend that if you go with cockatoo or borelli you do obtain 1 or 2 females as it will give you a chance to observe the full behavior of the fishes and colouring as they do change colours based on moods.

Interesting, thank you. I currently have 4 Bolivian Rams in my tank and I'm not sure if adding them now is a good idea or not?

So far the only source for them that I can find is Ebay. I used to have good luck buying GBRs from a guy on Ebay so I guess this will be the place.

I can't believe I've had a tank for 7-8 years and never heard of these fish. I obviously have not been exploring all of my options regarding stocking my tank.

Thanks again Jake.
 
As to whether it would work it depends on the sexes of your rams as well as the size and landscape of your tank.

The mentioned cockatoo are similar to the rams in that they are fairly passive breeders and will signal violence before actual conflict. The primary difference is rams are m:f while cockatoo are harem breeders. Don't get me wrong there are some aspito that are quite aggressive and territorial but the cockatoo lean torwards the passive side of things as do the rams. Of course there will be wide variation across individual fishes ranging from extreme passive to more aggressive behavior with both rams and cockatoo. If the tank is a 29 i would think it would be quite borderline situation and not chance it but if it is a 40B or larger i think there is some feasibility but it helps with a good landscape.

Interesting, thank you. I currently have 4 Bolivian Rams in my tank and I'm not sure if adding them now is a good idea or not?

So far the only source for them that I can find is Ebay. I used to have good luck buying GBRs from a guy on Ebay so I guess this will be the place.

I can't believe I've had a tank for 7-8 years and never heard of these fish. I obviously have not been exploring all of my options regarding stocking my tank.

Thanks again Jake.
 
As to whether it would work it depends on the sexes of your rams as well as the size and landscape of your tank.

The mentioned cockatoo are similar to the rams in that they are fairly passive breeders and will signal violence before actual conflict. The primary difference is rams are m:f while cockatoo are harem breeders. Don't get me wrong there are some aspito that are quite aggressive and territorial but the cockatoo lean torwards the passive side of things as do the rams. Of course there will be wide variation across individual fishes ranging from extreme passive to more aggressive behavior with both rams and cockatoo. If the tank is a 29 i would think it would be quite borderline situation and not chance it but if it is a 40B or larger i think there is some feasibility but it helps with a good landscape.

It's a 36 and I won't say heavily planted, but with a few more plants it would qualify as such.
 
Interesting thread, I have kept Apistogramma trifasciata, Steel blue (super aggressive), and Apistogramma borelli, all males, I'm in Mexico and it's difficult to get them in pairs, I attach a photo of my beautiful trifasciata, it only lasted a few months with me.
 

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Interesting thread, I have kept Apistogramma trifasciata, Steel blue (super aggressive), and Apistogramma borelli, all males, I'm in Mexico and it's difficult to get them in pairs, I attach a photo of my beautiful trifasciata, it only lasted a few months with me.

Are they really sensitive and hard to keep?
 
Are they really sensitive and hard to keep?

Almost all Apistogramma are quite hardy. The only thing that you may have to do for wild caught specimens is lower the ph a little with the addition of some almond leaves or other botanicals.

PS my profile pic is my male Apistogramma Cacatuoides that I had years ago. One of my favorite fish ever. Him and the female used to spawn every few weeks and it was really fun to watch.
 
Almost all Apistogramma are quite hardy. The only thing that you may have to do for wild caught specimens is lower the ph a little with the addition of some almond leaves or other botanicals.

PS my profile pic is my male Apistogramma Cacatuoides that I had years ago. One of my favorite fish ever. Him and the female used to spawn every few weeks and it was really fun to watch.

Beautiful fish! The PH is my only concern since I have well water and it's pretty hard.
 
I use drinking water with a pH ranging from 7.2 to 7.4 for my freshwater fish, I think you can change your well water to drinking water. I would not classify the Apistogrammas as super delicate fish but you should be aware that the water quality does not deteriorate too much.
 
Thanks! My well water is used for everything. It's the only water source I have at my house.

My main problem now is finding some fish. The only ones so far that I've been able to track down are on Ebay. One of the LFS has a supplier but between the fish and the shipping, I would be better off using the vendors on Ebay.
 
I have always been confident that freshwater fish are adaptable to other water conditions as long as they are not so extremely different, I don't think using well water is the best for these fish, you may want to use conditioners on these cases if you cannot get softer water, but I cannot suggest any because I have never used them.
 
I've got a trio of erythrura Rio Mamores, 1m2f (those sexes just by chance - was hoping for at least one of each sex and hit the jackpot!), they're quite sweet but I probably wouldn't have them in a community tank. I have a small dedicated and heavily planted tank with basically just them and even then the females (one in particular) are quite shy and have taken the full two months to come out and about. At $70AUD a pop for these fellas (versus a. hongsloi around $25 and a. cockatoos $35ish) you want them to be a bit of a focus point! I chose the RMs as they're the smallest species that was available from suppliers at the time, as well as being stunning with their blue reflects.

I'd be inquiring on the eBay DOA policy as live goods aren't covered by insurance/PayPal/etc in the majority of cases - it may be the same or pricier to go via the LFS but if you know your fish is going to be alive and visibly healthy when you pick it up it might be worth it over the risk.
 
I've got a trio of erythrura Rio Mamores, 1m2f (those sexes just by chance - was hoping for at least one of each sex and hit the jackpot!), they're quite sweet but I probably wouldn't have them in a community tank. I have a small dedicated and heavily planted tank with basically just them and even then the females (one in particular) are quite shy and have taken the full two months to come out and about. At $70AUD a pop for these fellas (versus a. hongsloi around $25 and a. cockatoos $35ish) you want them to be a bit of a focus point! I chose the RMs as they're the smallest species that was available from suppliers at the time, as well as being stunning with their blue reflects.

I'd be inquiring on the eBay DOA policy as live goods aren't covered by insurance/PayPal/etc in the majority of cases - it may be the same or pricier to go via the LFS but if you know your fish is going to be alive and visibly healthy when you pick it up it might be worth it over the risk.

Usually the sellers are very clear with their policies. I've only had a problem once and that was my fault for ordering GBRs in December. They were replaced quickly after I sent a picture. Since I have a community tank, I guess I need to stick with the less exotic of these fishes. Thanks for your comment. D
 
With ebay the quality of service always depend on the seller. Some are good - some not so good. Also read the fine print - some will replace doa fishes or refund the cost of the dead fish but not shipping. When a fish cost $25 and shipping is $40 take that into consideration. Having said that I have found the fishes I've mail order are far healthier than the ones i can buy locally not to mention I get the species i want and not what happens to be in stock...
 
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