# newbie apisto stocking and other questions



## Juggler (Apr 19, 2017)

Hi,

I'm new to the hobby just 4 months ago, and just suddenly got a second-hand 75G that looks huge compared to what I've had so far (5G for a betta, then 10G with 5 zebra danios, 9 ember tetras and 2 cories). I just moved the 5 zebras into the bare 75G so that really makes it look big. But I've been reading a lot about apistos. I'm planning on making this a heavily-planted tank with sand substrate.

Here's what I'm looking for:

Colourful fish
Relatively easy to keep
Interesting behaviour to watch - I think brood care would be so cool!
Unlikely to eat my ember tetras (or kill/be killed by any fish in the tank)

So I'm thinking borellii, cacatuoides and/or agasizzii from what I'm reading might be my best bet and they are so cool looking! If I can only pick one kind then maybe borellii.

My questions:
1. In a 75 G should I have just one pair of apistos (& to make room for future youngsters)? Or could I keep two pairs (different species) with caves on either end of the 75G?

2. If they do breed, how often would they do so? And what do you do with the young? I'd prefer to leave them in the community tank for as long as reasonable and then I guess try to rehome, but I've been reading that once a new batch of babies comes the parents might kill the old ones if still around?

3. Realistically would I be able to fish out juveniles and then sell/give them away online or at LFS (Big Al's?) when I need to? How often would this likely be if I have a successful breeding pair? How many fry would survive per spawn?

4. What if any other tankmates would be safe to add for the top/middle of the tank? And would it be safe to up my numbers of cories and maybe add a couple khuli loaches, or would they bother the apistos?

5. If I just feed flake/pellet food and don't work really hard to optimize conditions (hardness, pH) will they not breed? i.e. Am I worrying about the wrong thing (breeding too often) when really it takes effort to get them there, something I could do only when motivated to take care of spawn? How do the couples behave together when not spawning?

I do have the 10G for quarantine/hospital/grow-out.

Just wondering how all the logistics work. I think it would be so neat to see, and show my little boys, fish raising their young - but what happens next? If they all die or are eaten it could get depressing fast. Any tips appreciated! What would you do?

Thanks!


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## Dis (Apr 16, 2010)

Hi. Congrats on the new tank. 75 gallon was my second tank 7 years ago and it's a great size for a large variety of fish. 

Apistos work well with what you have listed. I would keep the fisb you have, plant the tank, setup caves and them buy 3 to 6 pairs on young apistos (all same wpecies) and grow them out. Hopefully they are happy and one pair spawns for you. 

I've been really unlucky with apistos. Still no spawns to date. It's no guarantee that they will spawn. If they do spawn, raising fry is a learning experience and the more practice you have the better results you'll get.

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## Wiccandove (May 19, 2012)

I've recently started to breed apistos. A good starter apisto would be any of the cacatuoides, or borellii. Cacatuoides are available in a variety of color morphs (double red, triple red, orange flash, white gold) and are pretty hardy. In general I would advise 1 male and 2-3 females in a tank that large. More then one male can be tricky. You would still need lots of hiding places for the females - caves, plants, driftwood ect. 
Any breeding that may take place in a community tank will probably result in little to no fry surviving. However if you have a spare 10 gallon you could breed a pair of apistos in the 10 gallon and then move the parents to the big tank when the fry are about 1-2 months old. That way you can easily observe the unique parent care both sexes give their fry. When the fry become big enough you could sell them or give them away. 
There is a breeding section on this forum so if you have specific questions about breeding you will probably get more responses if you post in that section. )


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## Juggler (Apr 19, 2017)

Thanks for the tips! 3-6 pair, that's a lot! Would they (esp the males) not fight? And do the pairs hang out together? Is that how you know they're paired up?


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## Juggler (Apr 19, 2017)

Thanks for the good advice!


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## Dis (Apr 16, 2010)

It's a big tank so you just need to setup alot of hiding places. Ideally go with more females than males, that would be ideal

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