Apisto Agassizii

[hudsonpd]

I need some advice on strains......what are the differences between the A. Agassizii Alenquer and 'Tefe'? How do they differ to the domestic 'Red'? Also, I've heard about A. Agassizii ampiyacu - how do these differ?

I have always wanted to own some Agassizii and now I have located severaly different strains available currently and am confused as to which are more attractive!

What are the colour differences and which do you prefer?

Also, how sensitive are wild ones to water parameters? My water is roughly PH 7 or just under and quite soft. But I have seen that wild Agassizii are often collected at PH4-6.

 

[hudsonpd]

OK, here is a picture of one of the options. This is labelled as A Agassizii Tefe. Is this right? And is it likely to be a wild one?

How do their colours differ from the other varieties I listed in my original post?

 

[Mike Wise]

The A. agassizii (super-)species is a rather complex group of forms/species that show slightly different characteristics. All A. agassizii (sensu lato) tend to be highly polychromatic, so color isn't a valuable diagnostic tool.

To answer your question, A. agassizii Alenquer is one of several populations of A. cf. agassizii (Netz/Net). On this form the males have dark edges on all borders of the body scales, which give it a net-like pattern. Domestic Red Agassizii are just a name for any red color morph of A. agassizii. It is descriptive only and the color depends on the color strain being offered. A. cf. agassizii Ampiyacu shows a blunt caudal fin that has very little of a central tip on the end.

Your photo shows a young male with very few diagnostic feature. There are 2 agassizii-complex species from the Rio Tefé. One is a population of the holotype form of A. agassizii. The other is A. sp. Tefé, which shows thin wavy bands below (and sometime above) the lateral band.

Which form I prefer isn't important; it's what you prefer.

 

[hudsonpd]

Thanks Mike, that is a very good reply - very very helpful indeed.

Couple of quick follow up questions;
- Did you have a view on the compatability with my PH/water for wild ones?
- How do you manage to judge the age of a male? (you referred to 'young male') I ask because I recently had a large male 'Fire Red' that recently died whilst I was away; I put this down to old age because I couldn't see any other signs and he was always v large and colourful right from the day I bought him 18 months ago.
- In a 1m long tank, 200+ litre (about 40cm wide) tank with planting and hiding places, how many apistos would be compatible? Could I have two different species' pairs in there? Are they compatible with a pair of Nannacara anomala? (I read on another post that the female tends to be more aggressive)

I only ask about preference because I cannot get to all of the places currently stocking them as they are all over the country and only available to me on the internet, therefore it is very hard to compare colour strains!

Many thanks again for taking the time!

Paul

 

[Mike Wise]

Couple of quick follow up questions;
- Did you have a view on the compatability with my PH/water for wild ones?

They should be fine for breeding.

- How do you manage to judge the age of a male? (you referred to 'young male') I ask because I recently had a large male 'Fire Red' that recently died whilst I was away; I put this down to old age because I couldn't see any other signs and he was always v large and colourful right from the day I bought him 18 months ago.

18 months + 6-8 months to becoming a saleable adult when you bought it is about the average longevity for most apistos. I thought it was young because the fins were not fully developed.

- In a 1m long tank, 200+ litre (about 40cm wide) tank with planting and hiding places, how many apistos would be compatible? Could I have two different species' pairs in there? Are they compatible with a pair of Nannacara anomala? (I read on another post that the female tends to be more aggressive)

If properly decorated with visual boundaries, then 2 different species should live together in a 100x40cm tank. Nannacara anomala tend to be more aggressive than apistos, but probably can be kept with more robust apisto species in a properly set up tank.

I only ask about preference because I cannot get to all of the places currently stocking them as they are all over the country and only available to me on the internet, therefore it is very hard to compare colour strains!

Domestic color strain are only as good as the person selling them. They can use any name they want to describe their fish. For wild populations, I suggest getting a copy of the DATZ book and understand not all specimens will look exactly like those in the photos. A. agassizii, after all, is highly polychormatic. Otherwise all you can do is buy what you can find at conventions, auctions, and local breeders. Or you could do like I've been doing for the past 4 weeks. Go out and collect your own!

 

[hudsonpd]

Thanks Mike! Great reply again. Really helpful, appreciate you taking the time to help

 

[Gwendal]

Nice male, I love wild types!





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