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Unknown Apisto

raizyr

New Member
Messages
6
I bought an established 55g planted tank about a month ago, including two unknown Apistogramma. The big male, unfortunately, didn't make it through a bout of what I think was ich about a week after moving the tank. So I'm left with one smaller fish that I'm having trouble identifying. I've found pictures that look similar identified as A. Viejita although my fish has no red spots. The male that died looks nearly identical to pictures of A. sp 'Rotpunkt', and it's possible the remaining fish is a Rotpunkt female, but the few pics I've found don't seem to match.

The fish is about 1.5" - 2" in length, when colored up the pectoral fins are bright orange, as is the base of the anal and caudal fins. There are a few blue specks underneath the eyes & on the upper opercle. The eyes themselves are also orange. I've also noticed blackening of the forehead when deeply colored. The dorsal fin is spined with a smooth curve from front to back, no one spine is greatly longer than the others.

In contrast, the big male's fins were very yellow and his cheeks very blue. I'm not sure if they were male & female of the same species, or something else. I wasn't able to observe very much interaction between them in the week before the big male got ill, so no help there unfortunately.

I recently got a pair of A. Cacatouides, as well as a trio of A. Agassizii and have been able to see some aggression from the male A. Cacatouides towards the unknown apisto. I also watched the unknown apisto greet the female A. Cacatouides and one of the small A. Agassizii (either female or juvi male, not sure yet) with a tailwag shortly after introducing them to the tank. Since then they just seem to ignore each other.

Hopefully this information is helpful and not just rambling, and sadly my pics aren't the best, my PowerShot just doesn't cut it for tank pics, but maybe someone will be able to recognize this fish. The Cacatouides and Agassizii will be moving to their own tanks as soon as they're finished starting their cycles, and the thought of a single unknown apisto left alone in a tank makes me sad. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Fish in question:
PVZVc.jpg

qWeVP.jpg

SlvDl.jpg

XQPf7.jpg



Male that perished:
SC2qe.jpg

icyGw.jpg
 

raizyr

New Member
Messages
6
Great, thanks guys, that's pretty much what I was figuring. So the next question is female or juvi male? And then after that, does anyone know of a source for A. sp 'Rotpunkt'? :)
 

Mark

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
99
Location
Netherlands
Sorry but I don't think the female of the first photo's is a rotpunkt. The male is a rotpunkt for sure, but the female is not. The lateral line/spots are not correct and there is no spot near the fin (as almost always shown in the females). I think it is a female of a macmasteri-type species.

Mark
 

raizyr

New Member
Messages
6
Why can't Apistos come with their name stamped on a fin or something :tongue: I really don't want to end up being an evil crossbreeder, even unintentionally.


Is there a macmasteri color form with blue cheeks? That's the one thing I haven't been able to find in pictures of A. macmasteri females, the blue coloring.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
The male was definitely A. sp. Rotpunkt. The photos of the other fish aren't the best for ID. Better photos definitely will help. Still it probably is A. sp. Rotpunkt even though the caudal spot is a bit large and it doesn't show a dark area around the base of the pectoral fin. The dorsal fin appears to be lower than on mac-grp species and the cheek stripe is more like that seen on Rotpunkt forms. The Blue-cheek Apisto has been around the hobby for 30+ years. I had them in the late 70s and they were a domestic strain even then. Who knows how much they've changed from the wild form in color pattern.

As for availability, A. sp. Rotpunkt isn't as common in the trade as it once was, but it is still available. Now it is often sold as "A. alacrina", which in my opinion it is not the same species.
 

Mark

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
99
Location
Netherlands
The male is 100% rotpunkt, but I think (having bred these guys many times) the female is not. Form of the body, absence of the spot near the pectoral fin and the lateral line are different. I think the male and the female have been put together but are not the same species. Maybe more photo's can help.

Mark
 

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