Apistogramma?

[Granamyr]

So i was sold these as Apistogramma Baenschi's. I'm not sure what to think they are now.

anyone have an idea what they are?

Please ignore my dogs growling half way through it

 

[Mike Wise]

I hate IDing fish from poor videos. Still it looks like (a female) A. baenschi to me.

 

[Granamyr]

Yes the front one is definitely a female. How about the back one though? I know that's the tough one to see... you think that's a female as well? So you think two females are just engaging in activity? I'll try to get a better video as well. they just were wanting to stay under the drift wood.

 

[Mike Wise]

I can't say based on this poor video. I'd need some decent photos.

 

[Granamyr]

Yes I know it's a bad video. I'm trying to get a good picture of it, it just never really comes out front like the other two do. So that's also why i think it's a male of some type because it acts so different compared to the other two that I'm pretty sure are females.

Plus it has quite an orange belly which I haven't seen in any female apistogramma Baenschi on any picture I've seen

 

[Granamyr]

I actually saw them out in the open this time is this any better for making an ID?

 

[Granamyr]

Just replying again in case Mike didn't look here since that spam post got put on there. Much better video of the fish I'm pretty sure is a male just not sure what species of apisto. Looking closely at it now I think it must just take the baenschi males a lot longer to develop traits than the females as I'm starting to see a tiny cacatoides dorsal fin when he sticks it up.

 

[Mike Wise]

Deleted the spam (a never-ending job). I'm sorry but videos don't work for me. Even when I pause the video and expand the view, the picture is just not clear enough to say anything definite.

 

[Granamyr]

Ok I'll try to get a picture, it's just not very often during the times I'm in front of the tank that the one in question is out and about. He likes his seclusion. If it is a female on the right, that female on the left is working awfully hard for nothing

thanks for taking the time to look though I appreciate it

 

[Granamyr]

Just to give an update, they have confirmed themselves to all be females. The one that I was hoping was a male is just a bigger female. so I'm still on the search for a male.

 

[Granamyr]

So as it turns out I'm still confused as to the sex of this fish, is it possible that a Baenschi male might show female characteristics if other bigger fish are in the tank? I still have yet to find a baenschi male but the dorsal fin is still getting longer and I can't find any other pictures of a female having a cacatoides fin. Unfortunately I have failed to get a picture of it anytime it has it's fin up.

It is still way more aggressive than the other 2 that I know for sure are females and chases away the Heckelii that are 3 times it's size from the cave it thinks is his/hers. Is that possible that it's just staying female looking due to the Heckelii in the tank? They never even acknowledge it other than when it chases them

 

[Mike Wise]

I don't see how a larger species of another genus would cause this. "Sneaker males" keep female traits only in the presence of another dominant apisto male. It is a strategy apisto males use to avoid attack by more dominant apiso males while increasing its chance of breeding with a female in the dominant male's territory.

 

[Granamyr]

I didn't think that was possible and I'm pretty sure it is a female just strange how different it is from the other two and is getting a bigger dorsal fin.

 

[Mike Wise]

As female apistos age they often take on masculine traits, especially in the fins.

 

[Granamyr]

Yes I just thought that was when they were older. These are barely a year old and the one is just much bigger than the other 2 which is what I find odd. I think I just have a large female

 

[Granamyr]

My wait is finally over just got 2 pairs of baenschi from Wetspot. I definitely have 2 males now just to wait for them to be in the quarantine tank for a couple weeks to add them to the other females I have.

 

[Granamyr]

I forgot to post the video of them here. This is on 5/18, they look much better than this now actually even though I think they look pretty cool here. Sorry the glass was so dirty, this is the quarantine tank. Just one more week till I get to move them