Apistogramma Cichlids: breeding tank setup
- Nov 27, 2020
- Anshika Mishra
- 1884 0 0
How to set up a 10-gallon tank for breeding a pair of Apistogramma Cichlids? well, here is the answer:
Substrate
You can use a bare bottom tank if you choose to but Apistos do like a little bit of gravel or sand in the substrate. So, dump the substrate in and smoothen it out unless you want to plant. Yes, you can plant in the Apisto tank.
Caves
You should know that Apistos use the breeding camps, so you can put small caves somewhere in the back of the tank with some cover. This cover can be formed by plants or simply by pushing a little bit of sand in the opening of the cave.
Pushing some sand is a good idea also because when Apistos start breeding they will push the sand back out and that way you can know if the breeding has started.
You can more caves if you like but you will definitely have to break the line of sight between all the caves. Apistos will generally grab one of the caves and get territorial over it.
Filter
You do need to have some filtration. You can use a hang-on-back filter or sponge filter, Apistos don't need a whole lot of flow, just enough for breaking the surface tension and getting the tank filtered.
Obviously, the filter has to be fully cycled before adding the fish into the tank, the best way to do this is to put the filter in an established fish tank for two or three weeks. Then, bring some water from the established tank into the new breeding tank while adding Apistos.
Water parameters
Depending upon the water coming out of your tank, Apistos generally like soft, slightly acid water. With temperature ranging between 80-82, they will stay healthy, you can go a little bit lower but they are going to spawn better at 82-degrees.
So, you can drop a couple of the leaves of the Indian almond, that would help with the water, it is going to tint it a little bit like tea but not too bad.
Further optional additions
Further, you can add to the tank is plants, little sticks, some wood. Adding more stuff will provide extra cover for the fish because Apistos are shy fish.
For more coverage you can add floating plants too as long as you stay away from duckweed. Plants like Red root floater is a good choice with just enough flow to keep everything moving and making sure that the filter stays established.
Setup is ready!
So, this tank setup would be good for one pair of Apistos to spawn. If you feel that they are beating up on each other, your best dither fish is gonna be Pencil fish. Pencil fish will not eat fray as their mouths are very small, they are mid-water swimmers so they will not take the same tank space as Apistos.
And your Apisto breeding-tank is ready.
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