Re: Apistos in a community tank

[swaldron@slip.net]

Max,
Thanks for the translation- can I send you some of my German poison dart
frog books? When Uwe says a "large tank"- how many liters and what
dimensions? grube
- Steve Waldron


>Hi all,
>I'm a long time  reader "lurker" of the list.I'm a Apisto , SA dwarf cichlid
>nut for a few years.I was born and raised in Germany and moved to the US 11
>years ago.
>I stumbled across a very interesting statement in Uwe Römer's Book
>"Cichliden Atlas" that I translated for y'all to kick around(Page 306
>-308)Aquarium Biology  A.bitaenniata,beginning of 4th sentence:
>An optimum keeping  would be in groups of ca.10-20 individuals of this
>species w.small characins or small top oriented Bachlingen (Pencilfish?) in
>relatively soft humic acidic water.Corydoras,ancistrine and loriiciid
>catfish or small pike cichlids (dwarf crenicichla)would be adequate aquarium
>companions.In contrary to the often in the aquarium world mentioned
>fear,healthy dwarf cichlid are very able to raise their brood around catfish
>and small crenicichla,if they have enough hiding places.In such aquarium
>keeping which I practise for many years,the breeding  success is not as high
>as single pair keeping, but it is high enough to keep the line going,and the
>fish develope their complete natural behavior repertoire.Unfortunately many
>aquaristik publications suffer under the little knowledge their authors have
>about the behavior potential of the above mentioned species.
>A.bitaeniata is e.g.in isolated pair keeping (like other Apistogramma
>species)often very aggressiv what could lead to death.The fish stay polygam
>in bigger tanks,if you keep groups in an enemy free situation.The males will
>defend large territories in which they will breed with as many females as
>possible.If enemy fish appear like fry robbing dwarf crenicichla the fish
>will build a binding pair that will defend their fry together against the
>enemys.The roles between the sexes are strictly divided:The male defends the
>larger breeding area of ca.20cm radius or the fry and the fem.mainly takes
>care of the eggs,larvey or fry.If an overwhelming predator appears both
>partners will collect as many fry as they can in their mouth and move them
>out of the dangerzone.Therefore only the fry that the parents are able to
>collect will survive in the wild.There are of course a few graduations
>between these extremes.In any case has the behavior under such husbandry
>more diversity and is closer to the wild behavior than single pair keeping.
>Plus another aspekt of the husbandry with enemy fish is the avoidance of
>mass reproduction.Only pairs that have the biological behavorial adaption
>potential will have reproduction success.End of translation, M.W.  slab me
>if I made to many mistakes.
>Very happy to have two weeks old A.nijsseni fry .
>Max Galladè
>
>
>
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                              Steven J. Waldron

                             http://WWW.ANURA.ORG
               "Natural History, Captive Husbandry, Conservation and
                           Biophilia of Tropical Frogs"

                    




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