Will some assorted Apisto's function in my community?

[Perdue91W]

I just rebuilt a 75 gallon for my parents in their living room. Mom wants a community, dad wants cichlids, I love south american/amazon type tanks, so this is the stocking list I came up with:

My current stocking idea is as follows...please be reminded I've been out of the game for a while, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm open.

8-10 Panda Cories
6-8 Otto Cats
10-15 Cardinal Tetras
8-10 Apisto Cichlids (Assorted)

The Apisto Cichlids will probably be ordered from LiveAquaria.com. I know ordering an Assorted variety will yeild who-knows-what results, but I've also considered some Keyhole Cichlids...the Apisto family just seems to be much more colorful, which is important to keeping the family happy and interested. Will the Apisto family be too aggressive for the cories and tetras? I'm not really interested in breeding, as I won't be around all the time to keep up with it all, and I don't wanna chase babies through a planted tank.

 

[abarilot]

The apistos wil be fine, just make sure there are plenty of hiding spots for all of them. I have a pair of A. borelii with neons, otos, and kuhlis with no problems. You could add the keyholes as well if you want to mix it up. Honestly I wouldnt do the variety pack unless you knew the species. If you are trying to breed them it would be better to have a confermed pair or get a group of a species you like. Also maybe get more cardinals since you'll have plenty of tank space! Good Luck!

 

[Perdue91W]

Thanks for the answer. The problem becomes that I can't really find any apisto's around here. I'm not really interested in breeding, as I don't have the time to take care of them all, and the smaller LFS's have shut down around here (Where I used to sell my other fish after breeding). About all I"m left with is a Petland that is redoing their aquaria section right now (New tanks and all) and a Petsmart that usually only stocks Oscars, JD's, and things like that. Are there any other reputable places I could find apisto's by species? I don't want to spend an arm and a leg either.

 

[andyjs]

Sounds like it will be a cool tank. Apistos would be just fine in there. I also think you could add some more tetras as well

 

[abarilot]

I'd checkout aquabid.com cuz there are many respected breeders that sell on there, plus you can check their reviews from other customers. I know shiping can get expensive but if you buy all from one dealer they'll put all the fish in a box so it'll reduce your cost.