A. bitaeniata ??

[madpiano]

Hello All

I have bought myself a book about dwarf chichlids. The only one in the shop was "South American Dwarf Cichlids" by Hans J. Mayland & Dieter Bork.

It is quite interesting and the pictures in there are stunning.

I cam across this fish and wondered if they are really that colourful, or if this is just skilled photoshop work.

If it is like that in real life, I think I would love to keep those ( even if it is only in the future, after I gained some experience with the "easier" Apistos :wink: )

Thanks
Sabine

 

[madpiano]

I see there is some problems with the picture. If it doesn't appear, here is also a link:

http://www.pbase.com/image/15085999/small

Pbase can be slow at times :roll:

Greetings
Sabine

 

[Bissot_J]

i will not say bitaenatia is the easiest apisto to keep, but he doesn't give any major difficulties.
good water, hiding place and that wil do the tricks.

i keep some wild one without any trouble.

but remember , you have many color form on bitaenatia. this one is nice , i never see an A. bitaenatia in the hobby with theese color yet

but some yellow form (like mine ) are very beautiful

 

[Z Man]

I myself have this book along with quite a few of my friends. I have also seen a review of this book somewhere and the biggest complaint of everybody was the color enhancement of the photo's. I doubt if you will ever find an A. bitaeniata that shows that much color.

 

[madpiano]

color enhancement of the photo's

Hmm, I thought that may be the case. So skilled Photoshop work, rather than more-beautiful-than-parrot-fish....

Funny enough, the Cactoides in the book don't look so spectacular... :?:

good water, hiding place and that wil do the tricks

well, that's my problem. I can't get the PH below 7 and my water is quite hard (dGH 10), so I will give those a miss for now.

 

[kribs]

I agree with Z man. It was cause of that photo i bought a freaken bitaniata. They are nice fish and yes some german bred strains have some good color but they dont even come close to that. Also z man sorry about the other night i was unable to pick your brains. Mang was really ticked of at me.

 

[2la]

One thing regarding the photos: They are not altered by any digital software; rather, the authors utilized special lighting that serves to enhance colors that normal viewers would not be able to see even under normal-output or compact fluorescent lighting. Thus, the enhancement is at the capture stage, not at the processing stage. In any case, despite the somewhat artificial depictions of A. bitaeniata (and the other species), I can assure you that the real-life appearance of this fish--at least of the more colorful varieties--will NOT disappoint the apisto aficionado.

As for why the cacutoides still looks dull, well--and I mean absolutely no offense to those who enjoy this species--their bodies are dully colored to begin with (gray). For all the color found in the fins of selectively bred varieties, their gray bodies attenuate their appeal for me. Again, just my own personal opinion.

 

[farm41]

I agree about the cacs, I have had absolutely beautiful fins, but dull body color. All excellent fish though, and great shape.

 

[aspen]

i hvae never seen bit's with those striking colours. but, i don't doubt that someone somewhere may find ONE with those striking colours. you are not likely to get one though, without raising lots of fish to get even one like that. i really like my male bit. but it shows more yellow, and not nearly so much red and blue.

rick

 

[2la]

I think the one I had came pretty close--I certainly wasn't disappointed when I got him home, though I'd love to get my hands on a red morph someday...

 

[madpiano]

wow, that really does look nearly as good as the picture 8O

I am impressed !

I may one day fiddle around with the water long enough to keep this species.

Thanks
Sabine

 

[kribs]

i was playing around with the photo and i think it is digitally altered. By using the burn tool in adobe photoshop you can really darken up some of the colors in the fish. Also nice fish 2la

 

[Bissot_J]

I think the one I had came pretty close--I certainly wasn't disappointed when I got him home, though I'd love to get my hands on a red morph someday...

nice pics and nice fish
mine is very yellow

 

[2la]

Thanks for the compliments, guys, though I had nothing to do with it. BTW, if you want to elicit the best coloration from your fish--no matter what color morph it is--you can place a handheld or pocket mirror up against the glass. The fish will see it as a rival that won't back down and will put on its best aggressive dress and flare its fins in a determined display.

As for the Mayland and Bork's pictures, I will reiterate that they are not digitally enhanced. Click here for a more thorough and direct discussion on the matter.

 

[kribs]

NIce link 2la. Also red bitainiata i think neil has some.