Mixing Apsitos and Rams

[xiaan]

After the loss of our one of the male apistos in our tank I am looking to add a few more fish to the tank. I think one of the causes of death of the apisto was the other a aggressive male apisto. I would like to now add around 4 more fish to the tank ether more apistos or some rams. Can I mix other apistos (agassizii or cacatuoides) or Rams with my aggressive bitaeniata? Will adding more A. bitaeniata (~4 3f/1m) decrease the aggression of the current male (giving him more targets)? How many Apistos/Rams can I have in my 55G tank?

Current makeup of the 55G tank
6 White Clouds
2 Platies (1 Male, 1 Female)
4 Rummynose Tetras
1 Male A. bitaeniata
3 Zebra Danios
1 Bulldog Pleco
2 Zebra Loaches

[fischkopp]

The question wat works for you is not easy to answer and depends a lot on the personality of the individual fish, in your case your remaining male apisto. Generally, mixing apistos and rams work, but is not always a good idea as they are both dwarfs that share the same areas in the ecosystem. Also rams prefer temperatures around 29 deg C, while most apistos prefer it around 26 deg C. Raising the temperature let apistos age faster, lowering it make rams more susceptible to diseases. That being said, many people keep them together.

What makes introducing new fish into your tank difficult is the fact that your male "owns" it right now. With nobody else around he claims it as his territory and will defeat any new dwarf. This can be a lot of stress for new fish, especially if yours is a bigger bully. So if you have a chance put him in another tank for a bit, introduce new fish, let them settle a bit and then (like a couple of days later) put the guy back. Rearranging the tank helps also, but is not always an option.

As for fish to introduce three females would be a great addition. You would be even able to add another male. Mixing apistos works too, but wouldnt mean less aggression. The key is to have LOTS of places to hide and LOTS of obstacles like plants and wood that cut the line of sight. Two males and 4 females should get along well and should have enough space to establish territories and watch their natural behaviour. I wouldnt go above that in a community tank. Also I would go below that as one could take over the whole tank. Try to match for each males and females so that you wont have one that just rules by strength.

But to say it again. This is just the rule of thumb, what works for you really depends on the fish itself and the tank they are in.

Hope this helps and didnt scare you away apistos are great little buggers!