RE: 80-Gallon Mix (Keny's)

["David A. Youngker" <nestor10@mindspring.com>]

> From: Keny
> Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2002 11:23 AM
> Subject: Re: sp. "Peru" (was another fish ID)

> ...I just aquired a trio of "triple red" Apiso
> Aggazzi...I am considering setting up my 80 gallon
> show tank and putting my trio in there along with
> a pair of the Borelli's <once I find a male> and
> maybe a couple of other pairs.  I like the Apisto
> cacatuoides so would like to add a pair or trio
> of those to my 80.

Unless all six of the females decide to breed at once, it shouldn't present
much of a problem. Even the potential there can be minimized with plenty of
nesting and hiding sites, or maintaining conditions just slightly "off" of
breeding prime to keep a low nesting frequency.

It would also go a bit toward ensuring a good dither/target population.

> I would like to also add a trio of the Peacock gobies...

Peacocks do well in soft water - it's one of the few gudgeons (and gobies)
that I tend to keep in those conditions. But I've never taken them as far
toward near-pure, acidic, and humic-laced as breeding Apistos. (I
_certainly_ wouldn't try to keep them with Dicrossus, for example.)

They are also bottom breeders, tending toward the same types of hideaways as
the Apistos (_males_ guard the nest here, though). He will only guard it
until the fry are free-swimming in most cases, and then he starts looking
for another female.

Normally I wouldn't recommend breeding gobies and gudgeons as tank mates for
smaller fish like Apistos - they can get quite pushy at nesting time. But a
Peacock Gudgeon is nice and small, on a more equal footing in mass and
strength. And certainly every bit as flashy as a decked-out Apisto. They're
pretty peaceful, too - even a bit shy.

Hmm...I've got a 38-gallon (3ft x 1ft bottom) with some Nijsseni and the
pair of Cockatoos I picked up from Teresa two weeks ago (actually, she was
kind enough to deliver them). Ordered two trios of the Nijsseni, got one
lone male in the half-dozen (like these are hard fish to sex or something).
Trimmed that down by moving two females to a 20-long to await another male
(any volunteers/trades?). There are also eight Hastatus Corys and four
Otocinclus.

Now your question's got me considering adding the trio of Peacocks I have
downstairs to the tank. Might just make a good Showcase tank after all...

-Y-

David A. Youngker
nestor10@mindspring.com



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