Re: mixed species tank

[Paul Evans <pm_evans@yahoo.com>]

> apistos.   Has anyone ever had any luck with a non
> breeding community
> tank of apistos without having major casualties due
> to males fighting
> over territory.    I thought maybe a nice pair of


John,  I have mixed dwarf species a few times in my 45
and never had much success.  My 45 is heavily planted
and has lots of roots.

First it was a pair of A. nijsseni and two male A. sp.
'Emerald'.  The male nijsseni was a sweetheart and
never bothered anybody.  The female however did not
appreciate the existance of the 'Emeralds in her tank.
 The 'Emeralds' were quite a bit smaller than the
nijssenI so they spent most time hiding in the plants
and I don't think they ever felt that compfortable.

Later, I had the female nijsseni and a pair of Rams. 
The nijsseni kept them near the top of the tank. 
Actually, if she saw them anywhere she would chase
them.

The last time, was a pair of P. taeniatus and a mail
A. cruzi.  The A. cruzi was fairly old and larger than
the P. taeniatus and harrassed them quite a bit.  Then
about two weeks later, the P. taeniatus started
harrassing the A. cruzi.  I could probably attribute
his death to that but I don't think they physically
hurt him and he was very old.  He was stressed though.


Your 55 is probably a foot longer than my 45 so you
may have more success.  If I ever get a larger tank
(i.e. when I talk my wife into it), say 70+, I might
try one Apistogramma species and maybe one of the
smaller Laetacara species or M. altispinosa but I am
inclined to put only once cichlid species in it based
on my experiences.

$.02 worth of free advise.  YMMV,

Paul
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