Thinking about getting some apistos for a tank. Here's the tank:
25 gallon tank, 24x13x20, essentially half of a 50 long. I've had this running or quite a while, having grown out bushfish, gouramis, wild mollies, and most recently orange laser cories to breeding size. Now it has 8 neons and 6 gold tetras (Hemigrammus rodwayi), and a single male albino ancistrus, 2 years old and less than 3" long. This has a substrate of ecocomplete mixed with black gravel over some play sand sloping. There are MTS in there to keep it stirred. There's a big chunk of driftwood, largely covered in Javamoss, that takes up the center 2/3 of the long aspect of the tank. Planted with Limnophilia aquatica on one side toward the back, Cabomba carolinia on the other, some dwarf sags in the front corners. 150 watt heater set to 78, 2 medium sized biowheel filters (One the next step down from an emperor 400, one the same grade of penguin) stuffed with bioballs and coarse foam, with a rite-size pad cut to fit in the media cage - no carbon, 2 18 watt T-12s over it. Based on my tap water and that big hunk of wood, it's to the acid side of neutral (6.4 ish), with minimal GH (~2) and moderate KH (~12).
So, I am hoping to get a pair or trio of apistos going in there. I can't provide regular live food, but I always have a smorgasbord of frozen fishy delectation in the icebox, as well as several different kinds (each) of flakes, pellets, wafers, and powders. Hoping to get some fry out of this too.
Suggestions? I was looking at A cacotuoides or A. borellii. I think I could support A. agassazii or A. steindeckeri in a pinch (but might have to preboil the water to precipitate the bicarbonates and add some blackwater extract, either that or prefilter it with peat for a week between water changes.)
Looking not only for a good looking fish (this is one of my livingroom display tanks), but one that I could make a dime or two auctioning off the fry.
Let's leave that there for now, and maybe later I'll bring up compatible cories...
25 gallon tank, 24x13x20, essentially half of a 50 long. I've had this running or quite a while, having grown out bushfish, gouramis, wild mollies, and most recently orange laser cories to breeding size. Now it has 8 neons and 6 gold tetras (Hemigrammus rodwayi), and a single male albino ancistrus, 2 years old and less than 3" long. This has a substrate of ecocomplete mixed with black gravel over some play sand sloping. There are MTS in there to keep it stirred. There's a big chunk of driftwood, largely covered in Javamoss, that takes up the center 2/3 of the long aspect of the tank. Planted with Limnophilia aquatica on one side toward the back, Cabomba carolinia on the other, some dwarf sags in the front corners. 150 watt heater set to 78, 2 medium sized biowheel filters (One the next step down from an emperor 400, one the same grade of penguin) stuffed with bioballs and coarse foam, with a rite-size pad cut to fit in the media cage - no carbon, 2 18 watt T-12s over it. Based on my tap water and that big hunk of wood, it's to the acid side of neutral (6.4 ish), with minimal GH (~2) and moderate KH (~12).
So, I am hoping to get a pair or trio of apistos going in there. I can't provide regular live food, but I always have a smorgasbord of frozen fishy delectation in the icebox, as well as several different kinds (each) of flakes, pellets, wafers, and powders. Hoping to get some fry out of this too.
Suggestions? I was looking at A cacotuoides or A. borellii. I think I could support A. agassazii or A. steindeckeri in a pinch (but might have to preboil the water to precipitate the bicarbonates and add some blackwater extract, either that or prefilter it with peat for a week between water changes.)
Looking not only for a good looking fish (this is one of my livingroom display tanks), but one that I could make a dime or two auctioning off the fry.
Let's leave that there for now, and maybe later I'll bring up compatible cories...
