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Apistogramma cacatuoides "Super Red" male
- Thread starter Joe
- Start date
Melanochromis
Member
- Messages
- 249
- Location
- Bangkok, Thailand
Hi Joe,
Amazing male cacatuoides you have I must say. He seems to be quite young and yet has all five fins covered with the orange-black pattern, which I believe may eventually turn red-black when older. I have seen a good number of pattern-on-five-fins cacatuoides like this but yours will definitely have the potential to be one of the prettiest.
Personally, I don't like the name "Super Red" because it doesn't say much really. And anyone can call their cacatuoides Super Red, even though they could simply be called "Double Red" (patterns on two fins) or "Triple Red" (patterns on three fins). When you see a "Super Red" on the selling list, you can't really guess how the actual fish will look like.
Several years ago, I began using the name "Pentacle Red" to call a cacatuoides with red-black pattern on 5 fins, because it just makes sense and is in line with the "Double Red" and "Triple Red" naming. Other Thai apisto keepers caught on and now everyone here is using the term. They seem to like it and I think there is less chance of misunderstanding when compared to the ambiguous "Super Red".
Anyway, please keep posting. I'd love to see more of him when he's older
Amazing male cacatuoides you have I must say. He seems to be quite young and yet has all five fins covered with the orange-black pattern, which I believe may eventually turn red-black when older. I have seen a good number of pattern-on-five-fins cacatuoides like this but yours will definitely have the potential to be one of the prettiest.
Personally, I don't like the name "Super Red" because it doesn't say much really. And anyone can call their cacatuoides Super Red, even though they could simply be called "Double Red" (patterns on two fins) or "Triple Red" (patterns on three fins). When you see a "Super Red" on the selling list, you can't really guess how the actual fish will look like.
Several years ago, I began using the name "Pentacle Red" to call a cacatuoides with red-black pattern on 5 fins, because it just makes sense and is in line with the "Double Red" and "Triple Red" naming. Other Thai apisto keepers caught on and now everyone here is using the term. They seem to like it and I think there is less chance of misunderstanding when compared to the ambiguous "Super Red".
Anyway, please keep posting. I'd love to see more of him when he's older
sasikan
Member
- Messages
- 195
- Location
- edmundston new-brunswick canada
is that a white spot in front of his pectoral fin?
Melanachromis - Thanks so much for your reply! Yes he is only really small, about 35mm including the tail!
That makes a lot of sense about the name too.
People in NZ always make sure to use the names correctly. If a species that comes into the coutry is mislabled, someone is always quick to jump on it and spread the word about what the correct name is. For example, a while ago we got some "Apistogramma viejita" which were actually A. macmasteri. Apistos aren't imported that often in NZ, so when they do come into the country we make sure we use the names correctly so people know exactly what others are talking about so there are no mix-ups. If I started calling them "Pentacle Reds", people would probably become confused hahaha!
But thanks for that anyway - it makes total sense to use that term especially if people are frequently selling fish under incorrect names.
I will definitely post photos of him as he grows
I've been feeding him lots of blackworms. I find my fish always grow fast and are really healthy when I feed blackworms. They're incredibly easy to culture and make an excellent staple diet (in my experience) and the colours of the fish always look amazing.
sasikan - No that's just an air bubble in the bag when I was acclimatizing him
That makes a lot of sense about the name too.
People in NZ always make sure to use the names correctly. If a species that comes into the coutry is mislabled, someone is always quick to jump on it and spread the word about what the correct name is. For example, a while ago we got some "Apistogramma viejita" which were actually A. macmasteri. Apistos aren't imported that often in NZ, so when they do come into the country we make sure we use the names correctly so people know exactly what others are talking about so there are no mix-ups. If I started calling them "Pentacle Reds", people would probably become confused hahaha!
But thanks for that anyway - it makes total sense to use that term especially if people are frequently selling fish under incorrect names.
I will definitely post photos of him as he grows
I've been feeding him lots of blackworms. I find my fish always grow fast and are really healthy when I feed blackworms. They're incredibly easy to culture and make an excellent staple diet (in my experience) and the colours of the fish always look amazing.
sasikan - No that's just an air bubble in the bag when I was acclimatizing him
- Messages
- 11,222
- Location
- Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
That 'white spot' on the base of the pectoral bothers me. The photo is too small to be certain, but it looks like it has legs! Could it be a fish louse???
- Messages
- 31
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
I think the 'white spot' is just a bit of food or debris in the bottom of the bag and is not attached to the fish... If I'm wrong, then it's definitely a concern.
Here's a pic from a couple of minutes ago:
He's looking really healthy and is eating heaps. Although I have noticed that the black on the tail and the end of the dorsal fin isn't very intense, and in some parts the tail is transparent (like that big chunk of black missing from the band at the base of the tail, and around the edges of the tail). Is this likely to disappear with age?
Also sorry the orange looks a bit washed out. The water has a slight yellow tinge from the tannis released by the piece of wood in the tank.
He's looking really healthy and is eating heaps. Although I have noticed that the black on the tail and the end of the dorsal fin isn't very intense, and in some parts the tail is transparent (like that big chunk of black missing from the band at the base of the tail, and around the edges of the tail). Is this likely to disappear with age?
Also sorry the orange looks a bit washed out. The water has a slight yellow tinge from the tannis released by the piece of wood in the tank.
- Messages
- 476
The color/patterns will fillout as it grows. Here are a few picture of mine with color/patterns on BOTH ventral fins.
Faded out lateral band is typical of this color morph. The missing coloration at the edge of fins is due to young age, the missing spots in the fins will probably remain the same. Is interesting to see that your fish has alot of black at the base of the fins as compare to mine.
A young one
Another young one
Older male (frontal flash causes the color to washout on the body)
Same fish with a view of the ventrals
Faded out lateral band is typical of this color morph. The missing coloration at the edge of fins is due to young age, the missing spots in the fins will probably remain the same. Is interesting to see that your fish has alot of black at the base of the fins as compare to mine.
A young one
Another young one
Older male (frontal flash causes the color to washout on the body)
Same fish with a view of the ventrals
- Messages
- 476
Thanks. The 'Super Red' cacatuoides is probably the most popular Apisto in the US. I typically move around 100 to 150 through the wholesaler in a good month, which is still dismal in comparison to the volume of rams that I move during a slow month. The only good thing is they grow faster than rams. I usually can move them out at 2.5 months old, that is assuming the demand is there.
His colour is starting to improve. I've noticed that some of the clear areas, like at the front of the base of his anal fin, and on his ventral fins, are starting to turn orange. The black pigmentation also looks to be improving slightly.
Also I've popped him in the isolation net because he is being aggressive towards a female Apistogramma trifasciata and my new Licorice Gouramis. I'll try and save some money for a bit more equipment and get a spare 50L tank set up shortly for him.
You can see the orange starting to develope on the clear patch on the base of his anal fin, and on his ventral fins, quite well in this photo.
Also I've popped him in the isolation net because he is being aggressive towards a female Apistogramma trifasciata and my new Licorice Gouramis. I'll try and save some money for a bit more equipment and get a spare 50L tank set up shortly for him.
You can see the orange starting to develope on the clear patch on the base of his anal fin, and on his ventral fins, quite well in this photo.
Melanochromis
Member
- Messages
- 249
- Location
- Bangkok, Thailand
He's growing very nicely. This is certainly one of the finest specimens. A perfect fish to keep for show and for breeding, whatever you want to do with it
However, I noticed his dorsal fin extension is rather short. It reminds me of some fish I got from Singapore a few years ago. The fish of that strain have very intense coloration on five fins with a fin color pattern like yours (large patches with a lot of black) but they have short dorsal fin and faded lateral band, which bugged me. Because I used some fish from this strain in my breeding line, some of the later generation inherited the short fin and faded lateral band things and it took a few generations to fix it, but they have great genes nevertheless.
Anyway, perhaps your fish is also be related to the strain some how.
However, I noticed his dorsal fin extension is rather short. It reminds me of some fish I got from Singapore a few years ago. The fish of that strain have very intense coloration on five fins with a fin color pattern like yours (large patches with a lot of black) but they have short dorsal fin and faded lateral band, which bugged me. Because I used some fish from this strain in my breeding line, some of the later generation inherited the short fin and faded lateral band things and it took a few generations to fix it, but they have great genes nevertheless.
Anyway, perhaps your fish is also be related to the strain some how.
He's still only around 3-4cm total length so he's still got lots of growing to do.
The thing that really bothers me is that large clear patch at the base of his tail, and the clear patches in the middle of those black spots on his tail. Other photos I've seen of fish from this import don't have this, so I'm hoping it will either correct itself or that it will be easy to breed out.
Here's Dan's male (from the same batch/import).
You can read his thread here and see more photos of the fish from when it was a bit younger.
The thing that really bothers me is that large clear patch at the base of his tail, and the clear patches in the middle of those black spots on his tail. Other photos I've seen of fish from this import don't have this, so I'm hoping it will either correct itself or that it will be easy to breed out.
Here's Dan's male (from the same batch/import).
You can read his thread here and see more photos of the fish from when it was a bit younger.
Melanochromis
Member
- Messages
- 249
- Location
- Bangkok, Thailand
There were a few fish I had that had clear patches in the middle of the fin, patches like that stayed like that forever, at least for the one that I remember. The black part sometimes can grow over the orange-red part when the fish is older (that's why some fish look different when they are old. I had fish with almost all-black caudal fin when very old) but not over the clear spot in the middle. Such spot looks like a hole and seems to stay there forever, especially when you want it to be filled out!! Luckily, my latest generation does not have any of it.
PS. Dan's fish is pretty too.
PS. Dan's fish is pretty too.
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- 2,770
- Location
- Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
You really want to concentrate on getting really healthy males and females with good fin extension, when you breed from these some of the next generation will have both good colour and be healthy fish. I'm not a photographer, but many of the off-spring from this fish (the much lamented "Troy") combined being healthy, chunky fish and had much "better" fin colour.
cheers Darrel
You really want to concentrate on getting really healthy males and females with good fin extension, when you breed from these some of the next generation will have both good colour and be healthy fish. I'm not a photographer, but many of the off-spring from this fish (the much lamented "Troy") combined being healthy, chunky fish and had much "better" fin colour.
cheers Darrel
- Messages
- 22
Pardon the newbie question but what is the difference between a super red and a triple red?
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