• Hello guest! Are you an Apistogramma enthusiast? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Apisto enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your fish and tanks and have a great time with other Apisto enthusiasts. Sign up today!

Apistogramma Id Guide to Young Fish

merlin

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
210
Location
Dundee,Scotland
When buying young Apistogramma what are the key features used when sexing male and female. In small Apisto's I suspect its not fool proof buy as these fish mature some signs begin to show that distinguishes male from female. Is it the fin shape, colour etc.

Any help or pointers to books or papers would be appreciated.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
It depends on what "young" means. If juveniles, then it is extremely difficult to sex fish because the secondary sexual characteristics have not developed. Often, females will have a slightly more yellow belly, while males are more white. Other than that, behavior can sometimes be a good indicator of sex. Juvenile males tend to be more dominant than juvenile females. Your best bet if buying juvenile apistos is to buy at least 6: 2 larger, 2 medium, and 2 small (but not the smallest) - and hope the fry were raised in water about 79°F/26°C.
 

merlin

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
210
Location
Dundee,Scotland
Thanks Mike I have some young fish approx 6 months and I was looking for the advice to sort out females from sub dominant males.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
why should the fry be raised on 26c temp

Sex determination is a bit strange in some fish, and for Apistogramma gender isn't fixed at birth, but depends upon the water temperature during the first 30 days of life. Generally lower temperatures give more females and higher temperatures more males. It will depend on species, but for a lot of species 26/27oC gives about 50:50 male female.

There is more here:
Environmental determination of sex in Apistogramma(Cichlidae) and two other freshwater fishes (Teleostei) by U Romer, W Beisenherz" <http://www.mendeley.com/research/en...hlidae-two-other-freshwater-fishes-teleostei/>

cheers Darrel
 

mer2623

New Member
Messages
10
Hi all,


Sex determination is a bit strange in some fish, and for Apistogramma gender isn't fixed at birth, but depends upon the water temperature during the first 30 days of life. Generally lower temperatures give more females and higher temperatures more males. It will depend on species, but for a lot of species 26/27oC gives about 50:50 male female.

There is more here:
Environmental determination of sex in Apistogramma(Cichlidae) and two other freshwater fishes (Teleostei) by U Romer, W Beisenherz" <http://www.mendeley.com/research/en...hlidae-two-other-freshwater-fishes-teleostei/>

cheers Darrel
Thanks Darrel
 

merlin

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
210
Location
Dundee,Scotland
_DSC0541--low.jpg
_DSC0552-low.jpg
_DSC0541--low.jpg_DSC0552-low.jpg

Top picture a Young A. eremnopyge (female) the botton a young male. If I am correct
 

merlin

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
210
Location
Dundee,Scotland
I bought 9 of these to make sure I had a good group. Looks like I have 6 males 3 females. not the best arrangement. Lots of posturing from the dominant males (3) and lots of chasing of the 3 smaller males, The 3 females seem to be drifting in and out of the dominant males territory some displaying so hopefully they will settle into a few breeding pairs. What age do they normally start breeding, these are 5 months.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
First, A. eremnopyge do not form breeding pairs. Females choose/defend a territory in one of the males' territories and then breeds with this male when she is ready. In this respect, they are not as hard to encourage breeding as in species that tend to form pairs. I would expect that they should be spawning in 1 - 3 month if everything else is good.
 

merlin

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
210
Location
Dundee,Scotland
Thanks Mike. Its quite interesting just watching them. Hopefully the ratio is not a problem and the sub dominate males dont get nailed. Do you confirm the picture above is a female.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
 

merlin

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
210
Location
Dundee,Scotland
I have now bought 3 books on Apistogramma and A. eremnopyge is not in any of them . Can someone point me in the direction of any papers on this species.

I have nine of these as young fish and there was a bit of havoc between the 6 Males. I caught and took out 2m and 1 fem and put them in my display tank with young discus and they have settled well are swimming about and displaying. The remaining 6 (4 m and 2 f) are still hiding all the time and jumoing between hiding spots. They just dont seem to be behaving naturally. 2of the males have very nice fins all elongated and showy but seem very wary about swimming in the open. There is a small shoal of tetra in the tank. No other fish. Any thoughts.
Photo attached is one of the males
Sent from my GT-I9100
 

Attachments

  • uploadfromtaptalk1342625324488.jpg
    uploadfromtaptalk1342625324488.jpg
    88.5 KB · Views: 521

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Julio Melgar discovered this species in 2002. If your books were published before its discovery, they won't be in them. Julio sent me photos of the fish which he labeled as A. sp. Maya (after his daughter) and later sold as A. sp. Fresa (Strawberry). Shortly afterward, it was introduced or commercially sold under several different names: A. sp. Diamente, A. sp. Rotbart/Barbarosa/Red-beard, and A. sp. Tapiche. A. eremnopyge was scientifically described and named by Ready & Kullander in 2004. Römer wrote a German rediscription, with more aquarium behavior and breeding information shortly afterwards. This information is available in English in Cichlid Atlas 2.

As for the behavior of your fish, well it is not unusual. A. eremnopyge has a reputation for being one of the more shy apistos. In a tank in which this species is comfortable, with soft and acidic water, they breed consistently. Sadly the species is rather particular in this regard.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
I've never kept A. eremnopyge, but I think you will probably have to reduce down to 1 male and a variable number of females, dependent upon floor area. I've never had much joy with multiple males, and I keep very complex tanks with lots of hiding places and no line of sight issues. I successfully kept 1 male and 7 female A. cacatuoides, and if I'd had a bigger tank I think I could have successfully added more females.

cheers Darrel
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
17,915
Messages
116,201
Members
13,027
Latest member
tonc61

Latest profile posts

Josh wrote on anewbie's profile.
Testing
EDO
Longtime fish enthusiast for over 70years......keen on Apistos now. How do I post videos?
Looking for some help with fighting electric blue rams :(
Partial updated Peruvian list have more than this. Please PM FOR ANY QUESTIONS so hard to post with all the ads poping up every 2 seconds….
Top