What kind of Apisto are these?

[hencpu]

What species is this? Will it grow very big or suitable for 1.5ft community tank?



Sorry, I'm still totally clueless on fish. I just find these fish very cute.

[Apistoinka]

Bro you sure that is Apisto... Does not seems like to me... Maybe you can snap the side view of the fish...

[hencpu]

Bro you sure that is Apisto... Does not seems like to me... Maybe you can snap the side view of the fish...

Haha, I'm not sure. I'm just guessing. Or is it just Cichlid? Saw them in C328 & Polyart

[hencpu]

I just took one shot just now. Here's the full shot of the tank. But I'm mostly interested in the orange & yellow ones

[stormhawk]

These are not apistos, but African cichlids.

[hencpu]

These are not apistos, but African cichlids.

Ic, coz I searched on the net for smallest/dwarf cichlids and Apisto came up, so I assume small Cichlid = Apisto, silly me.

Anyway, so these are not recommended for small planted tank with small fish & shrimps, I presume?

[Apistoinka]

Not suitable bro... They are much more fierce than Apisto and they will dig up all your soil... For cheap Apisto you can try to get agassizii or caca triple red...

[stormhawk]

Bad idea for small tanks as these guys will grow much more bigger than what you see. Those in the tank are juveniles not even sub-adult yet. They will beat up other fish as these are territorial in nature, especially the mbuna.

[hencpu]

Not suitable bro... They are much more fierce than Apisto and they will dig up all your soil... For cheap Apisto you can try to get agassizii or caca triple red...

Oh, ok. Thanks for the advice, bro!

Beautiful fish you mentioned there, so they are safer in community tank than the African Cichlid above?

[hencpu]

Bad idea for small tanks as these guys will grow much more bigger than what you see. Those in the tank are juveniles not even sub-adult yet. They will beat up other fish as these are territorial in nature, especially the mbuna.

Ok, guess will avoid them for now, maybe next time. Thanks for the advice, stormhawk!

[apisto31]

African cichlids like these require higher PH so you have to be careful in choosing their companions. Pls read up some article on Malawi or Tanganyika cichlids and you'll know their requirements. Cheers

[hencpu]

African cichlids like these require higher PH so you have to be careful in choosing their companions. Pls read up some article on Malawi or Tanganyika cichlids and you'll know their requirements. Cheers

Ok, will do. Thanks for the advice, apisto31!

[Apistoinka]

Oh, ok. Thanks for the advice, bro!

Beautiful fish you mentioned there, so they are safer in community tank than the African Cichlid above?

Yup bro... They do well with cardinal tetra and so on...

[stormhawk]

Don't attempt to keep these African cichlids, be they Malawian, Tanganyikan or Victorian with small tetras and so on. They require different conditions and the smaller tetras = food to these larger cichlids.

If you intend to keep African cichlids, you can try West African dwarf cichlids, like Pelvicachromis taeniatus, which have similar behavior to Apistogramma. Or the shell dwellers like Neolamprologus brevis. People who keep these shell dwellers affectionately refer to them as Shellies.

[hencpu]

Yup bro... They do well with cardinal tetra and so on...

Thanks, but I just saw that the Agassizii will grow to about 7-8cm. Might be a bit too big for my measly 40cm tank.

[hencpu]

Don't attempt to keep these African cichlids, be they Malawian, Tanganyikan or Victorian with small tetras and so on. They require different conditions and the smaller tetras = food to these larger cichlids.

If you intend to keep African cichlids, you can try West African dwarf cichlids, like Pelvicachromis taeniatus, which have similar behavior to Apistogramma. Or the shell dwellers like Neolamprologus brevis. People who keep these shell dwellers affectionately refer to them as Shellies.

Thanks for the advice, the Brevis seems small enough for a 1.5ft tank. So its peaceful towards other smaller fish & shrimps?

[stormhawk]

Yes and no. N. brevis is small but territorial in behavior. Since it loves alkaline conditions, Sulawesi Shrimp or Cherry Shrimp might be possible. However, they might become snacks for the brevis. In short, no cichlid big or small, is safe with shrimps. In a 1.5 ft tank you can keep a single pair of N. brevis, but you must try and find snail shells for them. Some people buy apple snails and kill them for the shells to give to these shell-dwellers. In the wild they use Neothauma snail shells.

[hencpu]

Yes and no. N. brevis is small but territorial in behavior. Since it loves alkaline conditions, Sulawesi Shrimp or Cherry Shrimp might be possible. However, they might become snacks for the brevis. In short, no cichlid big or small, is safe with shrimps. In a 1.5 ft tank you can keep a single pair of N. brevis, but you must try and find snail shells for them. Some people buy apple snails and kill them for the shells to give to these shell-dwellers. In the wild they use Neothauma snail shells.

I see, guess my current tank will probably not suitable at all. I'll wait for my next setup if really going for Cichlid/Apisto. Thanks again for the comprehensive advice.