Greetings from Down Under

[Funkylamb]

Hi there!

I'm Amelia, a newbie Apisto enthusiast. I have two Apisto Cacatuoides, theoretically a male and a female bonded pair, and I am pathetically in love with these endearing little fish. I never thought I would post photos of my fish all over my fb wall but, suddenly, I'm that girl. Sigh.
Next stop: ask the experts here whether my girl is actually a sneaker male.

Thanks for having me!

Amelia

 

[regani]

welcome to the forum. for anything apisto (and a few more things) this is the place to be

 

[killiapistofan]

Hi there!

I'm Amelia, a newbie Apisto enthusiast. I have two Apisto Cacatuoides, theoretically a male and a female bonded pair, and I am pathetically in love with these endearing little fish. I never thought I would post photos of my fish all over my fb wall but, suddenly, I'm that girl. Sigh.
Next stop: ask the experts here whether my girl is actually a sneaker male.

Thanks for having me!

Amelia

Welcome Amelia,

good to see new enthusiasts from Australia, can you post the female photo i might be able to help.

killiapistofan

 

[killiapistofan]

welcome to the forum. for anything apisto (and a few more things) this is the place to be

Hi Regani,

good to see there's some apisto enthusiast in Australia, i was feeling lonely and still finding hard to get apisto out of the ordinary, i'm looking for some hoignei and black chin females.... do you know anyone which could help me Thanks

Killiapistofan

 

[regani]

there are a few of us on here. there is also one forum in Australia that has a number of apisto keepers (aquariumlife).

almost all the 'A. juruensis' in the shops here are actually black chin (A. sp. Schwarzkinn aka A. allpahuayo), but you are probably aware of that.
I know a guy who has A. hoignei, but don't think he has fry at the moment. where are you based?

 

[Funkylamb]

Thanks so much Killiapistofan, here is "Beauty" (named by my daughter). I am fairly sure she is a female now as she may have laid some eggs last week - she stayed in a nook of some driftwood for a couple of days, fanning the area and scaring off anyone who came near. Nothing came of it but it seemed a good sign?

 

[killiapistofan]

Thanks so much Killiapistofan, here is "Beauty" (named by my daughter). I am fairly sure she is a female now as she may have laid some eggs last week - she stayed in a nook of some driftwood for a couple of days, fanning the area and scaring off anyone who came near. Nothing came of it but it seemed a good sign? [/quote

Hello Amelia,

Thanks for the photo quiet sharp, i would say it is definitely a girl, by the body shape and the black on the ventral fins which is typical in most apistogramma species.
If you want babies i would suggest to provide a cave and drop the ph to 6.5 or under ( you can achieve this by adding almond leaves to your tank).

regards
killiapistofan

 

[killiapistofan]

there are a few of us on here. there is also one forum in Australia that has a number of apisto keepers (aquariumlife).

almost all the 'A. juruensis' in the shops here are actually black chin (A. sp. Schwarzkinn aka A. allpahuayo), but you are probably aware of that.
I know a guy who has A. hoignei, but don't think he has fry at the moment. where are you based?[/quote

Hi Regani,

thanks for your reply, i live in Canberra, ther's only a few shops here.
To get the Hoignei i went to Sydney to a breeder but in the end as the fish were young i ended with 2 males.
As for the black chin i was told the opposite that most black chin are juruensis, the difference apparently is that allpahuayo have a triangular black spot on the chin. Also i read they are the only apisto species which can change sex how cool is that ?

Thanks for aquarium life i will join.

What species do you keep ?

Regards
Killiapistofan

 

[regani]

Apologies for hijacking your thread, Amelia....

Kiliapistofan:

The easiest way to tell the juruensis and allpahuayo apart as far as I know is to look at the lips of the males - the juruensis has blue lips, the allpahuayo orange ones. I think this has been discussed here before, so for additional difference just search through the forum here.

As far as apistos go, I am currently keeping
A. macmasteri
A. baenschi
A. taeniata
A. tucurui
A. trifasciata,
A. borellii 'Opal'
A. cacatuoides 'Orange'
A. hongsloi 'Farbform II'
A. allpahuayo (aka: sp. Schwarzkinn)
A. agassizii "Fire Red'
and some N. anomala

Now back to you, Amelia :

the female guarding a cave is a good sign. did she turn bright yellow with black stripe as well? that usually is a good sign that there are some eggs around. Just give the pair time, they will eventually get it right.
Are there other fish in the tank? some may eat the eggs/fry or make the female feel it is not safe to raise fry and eat the eggs herself.