a. borelli

[aspen]

well, i broke a golden rule today, and made an impulse buy. i have no idea what came over me, but i saw these nice little a. borelli's for a cheap price, and i couldn't resist. they also had some real nice little blue rams, so i bought some of those also. 4 bucks (2.50 us) each, and i couldn't resist. oh well, now i've got them, anything i should know about borelli's? i'm putting them all into a 10 gal for a few days to sort out anything that may be wrong with them, after that, who knows?

i/m addicted and can't resist,
rick

 

[Cichlids1]

Borelli like it cool. The only unheated tank I have has borelli in it. Temps in the mid to upper 60's most of the time. It will creep up into the low 70's if the wife gets to playing with the thermostat Other than that, they are pretty hardy and adaptable. The pH on this tank is mid sevens and medium hardness. Keep them clean and well fed and they will thrive.

Good luck

 

[aspen]

borelli's are cool water fish? really? that is pretty wierd for an apisto, isn't it? boy, are they ok to be in the same tank as rams? maybe i'll go set up another tank. they are in at 82 deg right now. will this do them any harm for a few days? i'll set the thermometer back to 78, the rams will be ok with that for a few days.

rick

 

[Cichlids1]

I've read about them being collected in water in the upper 50's even. I've never had any problems with them in higher temps. Never kept them into the 80's though. I've got a spare trio in a planted 55g running about 78. Might hit 80 after the lights have been on all day, but it probably isn't there for more than a couple hours. They seem a little less active in the higher temps, to me. In their unheated tank they are always moving and exploring. In the planted tank, they find a big sword plant leaf and sort of lay there until I feed.

 

[Neil]

aspen,
Well I can sure sympathize with breaking the golden rule for an impulse buy of borellii at $2.50 ea. That's a great price for a great fish.
Borelli are one of those apistos that can handle pretty much anything you throw at them regarding water perms. They are one of a very few that do well in colder water, but they should be fine at 82 degrees. I have spawned them in 82 and the sex ratio wasn't heavily altered. however, this would not be the optimum choice. It is better to keep them a little cooler. Maybe in a lower tank.
They also can handle extremes in pH and hardness if the water is clean.
And they are attractive to boot! What more could you want.

I'm addicted also and can't resist (apistoholic) . Heck I have a hard time turning away from fish that I already have nicer specimens of with fry when I see them at the LFS.
Neil