Can I temporarily keep a pair of apistos in a 5.5 gallon.

[Chris287]

I Would like to breed my apistos in a separate breeding tank but all I have is a 5.5 gallon can I keep them in there for 1-2 months at most. Their eggs are getting eaten by the other fish. If I can't do that could I put the rams that are bullying them in the 5 gallon and have them breed?

[Fish Folk]

1 minute ago, Chris287 said:

I Would like to breed my apistos in a separate breeding tank but all I have is a 5.5 gallon can I keep them in there for 1-2 months at most. Their eggs are getting eaten by the other fish. If I can't do that could I put the rams that are bullying them in the 5 gallon and have them breed?

Well, you’re keeping two of my favorite dwarf cichlids! What kind of Apistos are they? What size tank do you currently have the Apistos + Rams in? Is the 5.5 gal tank all cycled and established?

Id recommend skipping the 5.5 gal, and going with a 10 gal. The 5.5 gal may work for fry-raising, etc, but it’s small and tricky to keep water parameters stable with.

[Chris287]

It is a cacatuodides orange flash the 5.5 has been cycled. They are currently in a 40 breeder.

Edited April 19, 2021 by Chris287

[FrozenFins]

Agree with @Fish Folk 

If you dont have the funds for a 10 gallon heres a video made by @Irene. In this video she uses it as a quarintine tank but you could also use it for a breeding setup.

 

 

[Chris287]

Thats a good idea, thanks. Is there a certain kind of plastic you need for it to not leach into the water or are they all safe.

[Irene]

@Chris287 Food-safe plastic is generally the best, and I believe you can look up the code from the icon/number on the plastic tub. I've had good luck with Sterilite containers from Walmart because I researched the type of plastic they use and it won't melt from an aquarium heater. The thicker the plastic the better because I've noticed that my 12-gallon plastic tub starts to bow out when I put in more than 11 gallons. It won't leak/break, but the lid sometimes takes a little adjusting to make it fit snuggly.

[Chris287]

Thanks I will get one of those.

[tolstoy21]

Holding the adults for a month or so in a 5.5 seems doable to me, even if not ideal. However, it you’re moving  a spawn in there, or planning on breeding in there, that tank will be very crowded within 2 months, especially with the amount of food going in to feed the new fry and the adults. I would imagine it will be very hard to keep your water params in check.

I raise apistos in 20 gallon talls and they can get a bit crowded within 2 months if I have a large spawn. 

Go with a tote, but maybe choose a lighter colored one or the fry will be harder to see. I know Cory breeds in black ones, but if this your first time spawning them, it might be nice to be able to see them and get used to watching them and knowing their habits and whatnot as they grow. When the fry are first free swimming they are like little poppyseeds, sometimes hard to notice (to my aging eyes) even in regular substrate. 

As an example for reference in terms of size and quantity of fry-- here is a spawn at 1.5 moths age in a 20 gallon tall. The fry are maybe 3/4 inch each (though I am terrible with estimates).

Edited April 20, 2021 by tolstoy21

[FrostiesFishes]

I often keep rams/apisto in 5.5 for pairs in qt for months. They end up in 20 longs with a divider in the middle for two pairs. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by FrostiesFishes