Hey there i am new at this forum thing so bear with me. I have a 30 gallon tank and i currently decided to move on from angelfish, which i use to breed, and start a new breeding operation. So what i was thinking about are some apistos since the water in my area is very soft and acidic. So what i wanted to know is what cichlid can i keep and breed in my tank? I would like so to try apistos. My tank ph stays 6.2-6.4.
which cichlid to breed?
- Thread starter Garloki72
- Start date
The easiest Apistos would be Apistogramma cacatuoides or agassizi. The ones that would bring in more money would include Apistogramma macmasteri, Apistogramma hongsloi and Apistogramma viejita. You could also try German Blue or Bolivian Rams.
There is a lot of debate over this. There have been cases where they will spawn in a tank with a pH of 8.0 but egg and fry survival drop WAY down. On the same hand many say that the lower the pH the more fry will survive so therefore they will do best (in theory) in water with the pH as low as you can get it. Also, I have seen cases where a person uses almond leaves, driftwood and peat filtration to create an enviornment that has a pH as low as 1.2 and they have reported A. cacatuoides spawing and raising fry in that water.
I think your pH would be perfect for them if you choose to breed them.
What pH is your tap water?
A 30G is a starting size for African peacocks if your pH is 7.6+ or some New Wold Cichlid if it's more neutral.
A 30G is a starting size for African peacocks if your pH is 7.6+ or some New Wold Cichlid if it's more neutral.
Depending on your set-up you can breed them as pairs or herems. I am getting a herem set-up soon with 1 male and 3 females but I think MsJinkzed breeds them as pairs. Either way to trigger spawing, feed them with a lot of meaty foods that are either live or frozen (Live is better) for a few weeks. Then after about 2 weeks of good foods do a large water change (75%) and then do daily partial water changes (10-15%). The female will turn yellow with very dark black markings and will "flirt" with the male. They will spawn upside-down in a cave (either coconut caves or tera-cotta pots). The female will then attack any fish (including the male) that comes close to the cave. At this point if you are breeding in pairs it is best to remove the male to prevent fighting. If you have a herem then he will spawn with another female.
PS: how big is your tank? And what are the demensions? Each female is said to need about 1 square foot of "floor space" and each male needs about 3 square feet. The tank should have a lot of driftwood and plants with at least 2 more caves than there are apistos. Also, do you plan on keeping dithers with them?
PS: how big is your tank? And what are the demensions? Each female is said to need about 1 square foot of "floor space" and each male needs about 3 square feet. The tank should have a lot of driftwood and plants with at least 2 more caves than there are apistos. Also, do you plan on keeping dithers with them?
Edit: I missed that you have a 30. Alright so if you have it heavily planted with a lot of hiding places you can have up to 1 male and 3 females unless you would rather do a pair.