Which apistogramma for novice apisto owner?

[Caol Ila]

At some point, I want to add apistos to my tank of otos, pygmy corys, and cherry barbs. It's a 125L tank.

The species I know of that are available locally are A. Borelli, A. Cacatuoides, and A. Agassizii. Which of these are the most forgiving? Are there characteristics that make any of these species harder/easier to keep than others?

[Stephen]

A. Cacatuoides (aka Cockatoo Cichlid) is a nice apisto and quite popular.
Gingerlove05 keeps them.

[Gingerlove05]

Yes! Yes i do!
I would say the Cacs are more forgiving on parameters (like hardness). The borelli can deal with hardness upto around 10/11dgh but i wouldnt go any higher. I think borellis can also be a bit calmer than the cacs.
If you have soft water then its dealers choice
Otherwise its making sure that you have enough room for females to set up territories separate from each other (normally a defined division like a rock/wood helps). And only keep one male, two males would likely fight and one would kill the other or they would both end up hurt

[Caol Ila]

I live in Scotland, so the water is very soft.

Is it better to have a male-female pair or one male and two females?

[Gingerlove05]

It depends if the male and female have already paired up, if they have the second female might get left out and maybe bullied.
If they aren’t paired beforehand, it might be worth trying 2/3 females and one male (if you have room). It spreads any agro throughout the group (eg male chasing female to mate and shes not ready, females having a spat).
You might find if they have paired up the male and female will stay close to each other and the male might protect the female and territory from any intruders (females will protect territory more fiercely, especially during spawning/raising fry)

[Caol Ila]

From reading stuff on the web, I thought they were harem breeders and not as choosey about their mates as rams. Is that your experience?

[KevB]

I've always liked the look of agassizii, if I had very soft water I'd definitley be looking at them.

[Gingerlove05]

They can be harem breeders, but it depends if you have room for a couple of females as well as a male as the females define their territory and the male will go between each one. They’re not normally as picky about their mate, but some do pair up. I think this normally occurs if they raise fry successfully a few times.

[Caol Ila]

I ended up with three A. Borellii, although I'm playing fish gender roulette, as they are all juveniles and too young to sex. I really fancied this species, and they're not that common in fish shops, so I took a punt with the juvies I found.

[Stephen]

I ended up with three A. Borellii, although I'm playing fish gender roulette, as they are all juveniles and too young to sex. I really fancied this species, and they're not that common in fish shops, so I took a punt with the juvies I found.

All the best