Apistogramma Agassizii and BN pleco breeding project.

[TheSwissAquarist]

This is part breeding project and part journal.

I'm thinking about attempting to breed a pair of A. Agassizii and a pair of BN plecos on the same aquarium.

Would anyone have any recommendations for or against that.

(I would breed them separately but I'm having to downsize because of rising energy prices😔.)

[CJs Aquatics]

perhaps use a divider or set the caves up on seperate sides of the aquarium as they are both cave spawners…depending on the size of the tank this could make one aquarium almost like 2 instead…

[anewbie]

It 'can' work if the aquarium is large enough and properly scapped but not recommended. The problem is the bn can dominate the agassizii and it can be difficult for them to find a spot to lay eggs that won't be disrupted by the bn. I suppose a cave with the opening too small for the bn to enter might work. 

Also be aware that there can be significant aggression between m/f agassizii during the breeding cycle - male going after the female when she is not ready to breed and female going after the male when she has eggs/fry. The level of aggression can be significant enough to result in death so tank size and proper layout are critical when dealing with agassizii (as well as most common species of apistogrammas). Caves are not suitable hiding places during this period of aggression so having a couple of coconut shells is not going to be sufficient. Btw here is my pair: