apisto tank setup

[venom]

hi all apisto lovers..

as I getting ready to come back to this poison.. I would like to ask about the requirement of setup.
1.) tank size minimum? (intend to use 2ft tank)
2.) ph range? (gonna use soil to buffer ph)
3.) filtration? (thinking of using hang-on filter)

not sure I had miss out any important things..
hope you guys will advise and guide me along..
thanks

[EdwinTay]

hi bro Venom

Welcome back... I just re-started myself.

1) 2 ft tank - no problem with 1 pair or even 1 male & 2 females
2) make sure got plenty of hiding places (e.g. plants, rocks, driftwood)
3) ph (depends on species) but I put mine at 6-6.5 & lower to 5-5.5 when conditioning fo breeding
4) filteration - if not many fishes, hang-on filter is OK

For your information, I am using the 1 ft GEX tank, put in a cave, 2 pieces of java fern (tied to wood), ada soil & airstone. I put a pair of apistos in each tank with 3 neon or glowlight tetras (as dither fishes). So far, no problem but still waiting for them to breed. Hopefully, with the slight change in weather, it will induce them to breed.

[EdwinTay]

hi bro Venom

Welcome back... I just re-started myself.

1) 2 ft tank - no problem with 1 pair or even 1 male & 2 females
2) make sure got plenty of hiding places (e.g. plants, rocks, driftwood)
3) ph (depends on species) but I put mine at 6-6.5 & lower to 5-5.5 when conditioning fo breeding
4) filteration - if not many fishes, hang-on filter is OK

For your information, I am using the 1 ft GEX tank, put in a cave, 2 pieces of java fern (tied to wood), ada soil & airstone. I put a pair of apistos in each tank with 3 neon or glowlight tetras (as dither fishes). So far, no problem but still waiting for them to breed. Hopefully, with the slight change in weather, it will induce them to breed.

[venom]

thanks Edwin for the tips.. =)

[venom]

btw.. any gd resource on where to get apisto?

[EdwinTay]

Hi bro Venom

Right now, the only regular source is JZX at AMK 711. But, Stones at Sin Ming is doing pre-order about every 2-3 weeks. Some bros such as Scope also occasionally bring back as a favour. Please try to indicate your interest in the mass order thread (This is important). I find fellow apistos keepers quite helpful & we will give you tips as to sources.

If you have time, read through the Mass Order thread to get a general feel of what we are trying to achieve. Like you, most of us are "desperate" for apistos & find them hard to get. I, myself is hoping to generate real interest among 20-30 hardcore keepers. I believe that with this amount of apistonatics, we will have a critical mass for LFS to start ordering. Also, once most of us get our programs running, perhaps we can start trading among ourselves.

[venom]

I will post there on what apisto I looking..
at the same time.. is it alright to use GEX soil?

[doppelbanddwarf]

Definitely ok to use gex soil but I find that cost wise it is similar. Personally I prefer ada Africana for the lower ph. Everything else as Edwin mentioned.

[joopsg]

I would use sponge filter instead.
1 oto too

[Misery]

For my setup, I find that Ada Africana works best to maintain pH at 5-ish.

I use "HMF" method of filtration.
Check it out here, http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...e-a-HMF-Filter

Decorating the tank with wood and rocks will be nice, but I hate it when I cannot see my fishes.

Keep the tank simple, like ferns and caves with substrate will suffice.

And, welcome back to the hobby!


Regards,
Misery.

[venom]

I went to c328 just now but didn't manage to buy GEX soil.. end up got Ada amonzonia 3L
how long I need to cycle?

[Misery]

I would recommend a minimum of 3-5 days 😂 sometimes I do lesser ..


Regards,
Misery.

[venom]

3-5days enough?

[joopsg]

usually i try 3 days with dither fishes in tank.

[mer2623]

I cycle all my tanks for 2 weeks onwards. And for filtration i used sponge and rokka boy filter. Just check now, my pair of eremnopyge and alenquer swims with a set of new fries...

[Misery]

Congrats on the fries bro mer!

venom, do a photo journal for your apisto set up!


Regards,
Misery.

[venom]

yea sure =)

[EdwinTay]

Hi bro Venom...See, I told you that bros here are quite helpful... NOW...can anyone sell me a male Hongsloi 2,PLEASE!!!!

On a more serious note, to lower ph, I used to apply ph down (the liquid type). While this is a quick solution, I suspect it has artificial chemicals, which I try to minimize. Bro Scope has recommended using Sera peat - with the caveat that it is slow releasing but, potentially very potent. So, if you are not careful & add a lot thinking why the ph has not gone down immediately, you might overdose. My solution is to soak the peat separately in a squirt bottle & squirt a little whenever I do water change.

Also, has anyone used ketapang (Indian Olive) leaves? I used to do that with bettas & I found it does have preventive (diseases) values & surprisingly, does not lower ph.

[mer2623]

Hi Edwin, i just lost my male hongsloi last saturday when i shift him to my 3 ft planted tank, i suspect one of my laetacaras is the culprit..i think bro misery still have a batch of hongsloi.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[EdwinTay]

hi bro mer2623 - Thanks for yr reply & sorry for yr loss.

Yes, bro Misery passed me some. Bro Misery - I just did some water change - confirm got one sneeker male...and he is beautiful & horny. I am looking for another male to outcross. From talking to other bros & reading, if you want to keep the fish healthy, cannot do more than 3 generations of inbreeding.