r/apistogramma

Hi all, I've decided to get back into cichlids, but my current situation only has space for a 70L (17g) tank, ive decided to build a tank for a pair of Apistogramma, it's just started cycling.

In my region LFS are basically limited to the major city, 200km away and importing fish and plants into the state is strictly controlled, so I have to take what i can find online.

Could anyone offer some advice on the general behaivour, care and hardiness of A.hoignei vs A.caccutoides (double red), I am an experienced cichlid keeper, but not for many years.

my current tank scape is sandy gravel substrate, 2x terracotta caves at opposite ends, a few small rocns abd some driftwood, which along with some plants break up sight lanes.

I was going to aim for 23c temp, pH just under 7 and soft water.

I was also considering A.agassizii, but availability is very limited and the specimens I have seen don't have the best colour.

Hey everyonem Recently, I got a TDS meter as my lfs recommended it. The TDS value I get from my drinking water is 110 ppm, from the tap water it is 180 ppm, from my aquarium it is 350 ppm and from the dechlorinized water it is 800 ppm. I am confused because the lfs said that the TDS was way too high for my pair to breed. However, it seems like my only option to lower it is reverse osmosis water because the dechloronized water I use after water changes has a ppm of 800 which is absurd. Is RO water is my only option? Why does my dechlorinized water has a higher TDS value than the tap water? Is it true that a pair of apistogramma would breed at lower TDS?

Would a 15 Gal Cube be satisfactory for a single apistogramma? Ive heard mixed responses from different people

Hey everyone. I have a pair of nannacara anomala in my 20 gallon and I was wondering why they don't breed. I tested my water and all parameters are fine instead of kH and pH. My pH is approx. 7.5 which is pretty high for south american cichlids like mine. kH is 20ºd which is also pretty high. How can I lower these safely to get my pair to breed?

Does anyone have experience keeping multiple species of apistogramma together? I have a 75 gallon super heavily planted tank. I want to put a pair each of apistogramma macmasteri (red / gold shoulder) apistogramma agassizii (fire red) & apistogramma megaptera. I know they would all need their own territory and caves. the tank will be super planted with lots of caves and plants to break the line of sight. I have lots of experience with cichlids, gouramis, bettas, shrimp, turtles and other freshwater fish. Im definitely not an expert but I’ve been fishkeeping for the past 4 years or so. So i have a decent amount of experience I just haven’t owned apistogrammas yet. Can anybody tell me if i can have multiple species of apistogramma in 1 tank? I only see people talking about pairs vs trios. Any help is appreciated !