Apisto ID

[Porcupine]

Hey all,

I picked up an Apistogramma Agassizii a couple weeks ago without knowing much about them, but I have grown to like this one quite a bit and have decided I want to get a couple more friends for him/her. I was wondering if you could tell me which sex it is. I figure it's a female since the colors are relatively dull, but I was told that they don't really show much color when they are alone anyway, so I thought I'd check. Also, I was wondering if this one belongs to the "Double-Red" species. Thanks for your help!

Here are some pics:

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/415/dsc00970ry.jpg
http://img852.imageshack.us/i/dsc00972s.jpg
http://img696.imageshack.us/i/dsc00962z.jpg

 

[gerald]

I'd say that's a male, based on the tail color and pointed shape, dorsal fin extension, and amount of blue on the head & body. Color will increase as he matures, regardless of whether he's with a female or not. Others may chime in on which color variety, but if it's not either a wild fish (from known locality) or from a breeder who segregates local varieties, then it could well me a domestic mix of different "aggie-complex" varieties.

 

[Porcupine]

Thanks for the response. That's interesting. So you don't think the lack of color is due to the fact that he is alone, more just because he is juvenile? So at this point, knowing it's a male, I should probably get two or three females, right? Thanks

 

[aquaticclarity]

I agree that the pictured fish is a male.

What size tank is he in? If it's a 36" long tank or bigger 3 females would be great.

 

[Porcupine]

Thanks. He's in a 33 gallon that is 36" long exactly. If there are less than three females, would the male just likely bother the other two too often?

 

[Mike Wise]

This male agassizii doesn't appear to be a domestic bred double red strain. If it is, then it is a very poor representative. It looks more like a wild specimen with red in parts of the fins. I have seen many different wild populations like this. I do find it interesting (but not entirely unusual) to see the fish show such a prominent stripe below the lateral band. On most populations of A. agassizii, one does not see the stripe or it is extremely faint.