Budget/low cost Apisto species for beginner to start out

[EvolutionZ]

I'm interested in keeping apisto, but budget's very tight. So need to keep those cheaper species for a start.

I saw a pair of apisto named Caca in C328, not sure about the price.. are they the cheapest?

Perhaps you guys can recommend what species of apisto to keep for a start? For a 1 ft cube tank. Also, please tell me where to get them too..

Thanks a lot

[benny]

Cheapest is not always the best. I've renamed your thread title to better reflect your requirements.

For a start, you can state a budget that you are comfortable with. From there, we can help you by recommending species within the range. Don't forget, one species can command differing prices from S$4 to S$480 just because of color variant or location variant.

But if you have no money at all and maybe can only spare S$2. Then this species is 'technically' still in the Apistogramma genus.





Take note that you will not be able to get the female for this HYBRID and they will most likely not breed true.

Alternatively, you can consider Holland rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) or Bolivian rams (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus). They also cost below S$4 on the average and are still considered dwarf cichlids





Most of these species can be found in common LFS in Clementi, Tiong Bahru, Serangoon, Yishun, etc.

Cheers,

[EvolutionZ]

nice pics bro, will drop by biotope soon and have a look==)

[doppelbanddwarf]

There was a batch of those "steel blue" recently at Y618. They look like those in the Aquarama cichlid competition. Seemed to be very aggressive to each other, a lot of casualties in the tank. They even attacked the pencilfish placed in the same tank.

[EvolutionZ]

i wont like to keep aggressive Fishes..
Maybe i'll get Rams and try to pair them myself..
but i'm now more on the apisto side

[illumnae]

the lowest cost you'll see at biotope based on my trips there are A.cacatuoides, A.agassizii and A.trifasciata (spelling might be wrong) - all are sold at the same price in biotope, not sure about what the etiquette here is for stating prices but you can PM me and i'll let you know? i've also heard that A.borelli are good low cost starting apistos...all the 4 mentioned above are "easy" apistos to keep as their requirements are not as demanding, i was told...my personal experience is with cacas, and after 2 weeks so far of keeping them i must say they are indeed pretty easy to satisfy and adapt readily to the new environment i introduced them into

i will be going down to both biotope and c328 in about 1-2 hours time and if you want i can update you about the status of their stock and my humble "newbie" opinion of how the fish look like they're faring healthwise and colour wise =) if any of the old birds here have been there recently i'm sure they can give better opinions than me =)

but ultimately the cheapest way to go will be to get a pair of rams that you sex yourself. getting a "premade" pair from biotope or c328 will end up costing you as much as a pair of "easy" apistos anyway so you might as well keep apistos if you want to get those.

i'll post back again tonight after visiting both shops =)

[doppelbanddwarf]

i wont like to keep aggressive Fishes..
Maybe i'll get Rams and try to pair them myself..
but i'm now more on the apisto side

Personally i won't buy the "steel blue" either.
The unavailability of females is a big minus because one of the greatest joy in apisto-keeping is male female interaction among the fishes and breeding them.

[EvolutionZ]

ya.. benny called me just now.. explaining to me..
if i would to keep.. of course, i'll keep a pair..
but now still wondering to keep or not.. pricing is a big problem already >.<

[illumnae]

Steel blues are really cheap, saw a bunch at polyart going for like less than a purple note i think, but all males...and don't look so nice anyway

[EvolutionZ]

Steel blues are really cheap, saw a bunch at polyart going for like less than a purple note i think, but all males...and don't look so nice anyway

any apisto selling like rams? so i can sex themself? in body shape i do feel that apisto looks nicer..

[valice]

What do you mean selling like rams?

[illumnae]

cheapest i saw was C328 selling cacas individually, so you can pick 1 male 1 female lor haha...

[genes]

Whats your budget? If its a pair you are looking for. C328 or Biotope may carry the cheaper varient of Cacatuoides or Agassizii. Think i saw a pair of Cacatuoides yellow varient going for less then $30. Or you could go for Rams as recommeded by Benny.

If its not a pair you are looking for, go for the blue steel, its very cheap from Polyart.

[Wackytpt]

Dirt cheap for the steel blue. But if I am not wrong, only got males.

[illumnae]

Dirt cheap for the steel blue. But if I am not wrong, only got males.

Steel blues are really cheap, saw a bunch at polyart going for like less than a purple note i think, but all males...and don't look so nice anyway

keke wackytpt and me posted almost word for word the same thing =)

C328 selling cacas for a red note apiece, biotope 1.5x the cost but imo look nicer than the C328 one...C328 the female looks half dead

biotope has a few species for the same price as their cacas such as agasizii "red" wild (they have 4 tanks and at least 5 pairs left)

[EvolutionZ]

will go down Biotope tomorrow if i have the time =)

[benny]

Cheapest may not be best value.

What you guys should be looking for is a healthy looking specimen and healthy, well cared for, spunky fishes normally cost a bit more. But it's usually worth it.

Cheers,

[genes]

Give them a call before you go down to prevent a wasted trip

[EvolutionZ]

okay.. thanks for everybody's reply =)

[illumnae]

yup i recommend biotope as better value than C328 despite higher price