Apisto's in stores look dull?

[Appistoenthusiast]

Question: There is a tropical fish store that is about an hours drive from my house that have more than 10 species of Apistogramma. However most of the fish they have lack the color of the fish that I see on this website and youtube etc. I am wondering if I was to buy a pair and brought them home would being in a planted aquarium with all the right parameters would allow them to bring out there best colors. Our should I just go with aquabid?

 

[Melanochromis]

I think that's the impression most of us had when we first saw Apistogramma at the shops. The fish stocked at shops are mostly juveniles and won't show true coloration until a few months later. Sometimes you can't even tell the sex of the fish because they are so young. We have a joke here - we call those young Apistogramma "baby tilapia", because, well, they look as dull as a baby tilapia.

It's unfortunate and frustrating not to see fully colored fish at shops, but at the same time it can be rewarding because you'll get to see them grow and turn into a beautiful fish in your tank. Eventually, you'll develop the skill to select young fish from shops that have the best potential to turn out pretty.

So, yes, please go ahead and get some pairs to bring home. Enjoy

 

[Appistoenthusiast]

ahhh ha.... that makes sense. Please forgive me I am learning. Thanks for replying....
The store I go to is called aquatek tropical fish. It's located in Austin,TX. The cool thing about the store is they post live pictures of the fish that receive on there facebook page to inform enthusiasts of what they have received. I am not sure if they ship or not but it's worth a try to anyone trying to find an appisto fish store.
Thanks again for the reply Mela

 

[bseitz234]

While I second Melanochromis on the "young fish" factor, I think stress also has a lot to do with it. A couple times now, I've gotten some young apistos home from the store, only to have them color up within an hour or two of being introduced to a well-decorated tank. Even though they're still visibly young, they're more colorful and fun to watch when they're in the more comfortable setting of a permanent home. If there are pictures of the fish you're choosing between, some people on here *may* be able to help you choose fish that have the potential to develop nicely... kind of depends on the fish and the picture, but it's a shot.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

second Melanochromis on the "young fish" factor, I think stress also has a lot to do with it. A couple times now, I've gotten some young apistos home from the store, only to have them color up within an hour or two of being introduced to a well-decorated tank. Even though they're still visibly young, they're more colorful and fun to watch when they're in the more comfortable setting

I agree, I think it is a combination of young fish, stress and food. If the shops fed them BBS or Cyclopeeze or something with astaxanthin in it, it would help all around with colour.

I had this problem when I tried to sell juvenile A. trifasciata and A. borellii, (some details here <http://www.britishcichlid.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8161>) the fish would leave me as lovely, lively healthy silvery blue fish, but a week later I'd see them in the shop and they would be sad looking apathetic grey "ghosts", all trying to hide under the filter/Bog wood, heater or in really bare tanks each other in a corner.

cheers Darrel

That was one reason I started keeping the red forms of A. cacatuoides, red fish sell.