my fisrt tank - advice?

[bungle]

this might end up being a long post, so thanks in advance if you make it to the end!

i haven't bought anything yet, but plan to soon purchase the first tank i've had since i had goldfish as a kid. i've watched jack dempseys, shovelnose cats, and oscars in my friends tanks for the longest time, which has led to my decision to get a tank of my own.

while saving up for everything i need to get started, i've been spending any and all spare time reading whatever i can about all the essentials (water cycle, materials, fishies).

i think i have finally decided i'd like to stock my tank with dwarf cichlids (Apistogramma cacatuoides possibly). i really like the cichlids, but don't want to keep other fish out of my tank due to an aggressive fish, i've read that the dwarfs are a bit more mellow than their bigger cousins. thanks to this site, i've noticed a few people have some of these guys, or close cousins, and was wondering if anyone had wisdom they could impart to help me out? things like tank set-ups that work for you, substrate, water specs., possible tankmates, or anything else that could prove useful!

maybe i'm getting ahead of myself and should start with a different fish? any info people can provide would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Menagerie]

[center:a66322686a] Welcome to AA, bungle!! [/center:a66322686a]
I have both Bolivian rams and some apistos in my community tank. For all the fish in that tank (if you are thinking of tank mates), check out my profile. The tank has lots of drift wood to keep the water soft and the pH is at 7.2. These are great fish with personality and definitely peaceful!

 

[bungle]

thanks, menagerie! how about multiple apistos in a tank? will they become more aggressive/territorial?

 

[Menagerie]

I have four and they seem to have each taken a little area in the tank, but they don't defend it like my Mbuna. I have never seen the apistos bother any of the other fish. The other fish don't bother them. At feeding time, all is well.
I don't know what will happen if they breed, but I don't keep fish to breed them. If they do, great, I'll go get another tank

 

[Atlarge]

I'm getting a tank simaler to yours and I've found long tetras and corys go well with dwarfs, if you're looking for a strictly South American tank. How many gallons do you have?
The most imortant thing with dwarfs is to remember to put in plenty of hiding spaces so they won't fight so much.

 

[Menagerie]

Round bodied tetras have a "nippy" rep, the longer bodied ones should be fine. I have silver tips and serpae in with my dwarfs. I have never seen my dwarfs fight. They are in a tank with lots of driftwood and fake plants.
If I want to see fighting, I walk over to my 80 gal and watch the Mbuna cichlids. For peace and quiet, the community tank in my office with the dwarfs is where I sit

 

[Atlarge]

I recomend 3 lined pencilfish and Dwarf corys to be specific.

And, how many gallons do you have? if 20gal go with the long version.

 

[bungle]

not sure yet as to how many gal. i'll end up with. at the very least, 50.

 

[Atlarge]

Remember, length is key. And, if you don't want swiss fish, provide cover enough for twice the fish you have.