A. Baenschi natural habitat

[Lagges]

Hey Guys,

My 200 L tank should be renewed. Wanna build a biotop tank for A.baenschi but I couldn't find any photos or videos of it's natural habitat.

Can you help me?



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[Mike Wise]

My guess is that you will not like the looks of a true biotope for A. baenschi. Like most Peruvian apiso species, A. baenschi inhabits shallow parts of jungle streams (blackwater for this species) with a very fine sand substrate overlain by algae covered bog wood and a thick layer of leaf litter. True aquatic plants are not part of this biotope, only partially submerged shoreline grasses and bog plants. I know of no photos of the collecting sites. I'm sure any non-locals taking photos would make the coca producers in the area very nervous.

 

[Lagges]

Okay, so driftwood, leaves and blackwater, and that's it?

No changes during rainy season?

 

[Bart Hazes]

I will be visiting the area where baenschi is found in the upcoming Xmas break to do a general fish survey of both low-land clear and black waters and higher elevation habitats further upstream the Rio Huallaga (Rio Mayo). I certainly hope and expect to see A. baenschi in its natural habitat as well as Bujurquina huallagae, both of which I keep and spawn (though no surviving offspring from the latter yet). If the rainy season isn't too bad yet and water clarity allows, the plan it to get video and/or pictures from the fish in their habitat, as well as water parameters and general survey of the site above and below water. I am bound to document all somehow online and when that happens I'll be announcing it here and on other relevant sites.

 

[Tom C]

Be careful, Bart. I hope you won't go there alone...
I have seen photos/reports from people who have visited the area to collect A. baenschi.
Neither of them have been showed a true habitat of A. baenschi by local people, they have every time been showed streams and ponds where the local fishermen "store" their A. baenschi, sometimes close to their own houses.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Okay, so driftwood, leaves and blackwater, and that's it?

No changes during rainy season?

Have a look at @Tom C's photos in <"Rio Orinoco botope...">.

cheers Darrel

 

[Bart Hazes]

Be careful, Bart. I hope you won't go there alone...
I have seen photos/reports from people who have visited the area to collect A. baenschi.
Neither of them have been showed a true habitat of A. baenschi by local people, they have every time been showed streams and ponds where the local fishermen "store" their A. baenschi, sometimes close to their own houses.

Thanks Tom. Your travel reports have been an inspiration and are a valuable resource for the community. I hope my trip can lift a tip of the veil for the region around Tarapoto that isn't well known in the hobby and scientific literature. I will be traveling with a local who is very familiar with the region and who was part of the original discovery of A. baenschi. It will be part of an (ornamental) fish survey, currently unfunded but perhaps that will change. A. baenschi, or apistogramma in general, are not a specific target but as I am breeding them myself I do hope to see them in the wild, in addition to others like the cf. eunotus that has been reported from the Huallaga. Of course I may be sworn to secrecy to not reveal their true localities but I should be able to report the nature of the habitat if we do find them.

 

[Lagges]

That would be pretty cool. Would be nice if you would be able to take some underwater pictures

 

[Bart Hazes]

That would be pretty cool. Would be nice if you would be able to take some underwater pictures

That is definitely the intention but this will be my first fresh water fish survey trip and I think taking UW pictures in shallow creeks will be harder than while SCUBA diving, which is what I normally do. Also rainy season may have started by the time I get there and I don't know what that does with water clarity. Either way it will be an adventure.

 

[rasmusW]

Hey lagges!

I’m looking forward to how your setup will end looking.
It’s sure great fish.

Bart: i’m also looking forward to hear of your adventures. Have a great trip.

-r

 

[ButtNekkid]

Hi,

Just happened to stumble upon this thread, and thought to share my wild A. Baenschi in quarantine.
Maybe this would be close to it´s natural surroundings...

 

[rasmusW]

If you google: tagaki hitoshi apistogramma, you will get some great pictures of a. baenschi habitat, among loads of other Apistogramma species biotope. -you also end up with a lot of really impressive origami, but then just “force” google to look up the right thing. Sadly his site is down, so i can’ t just link to that.

-r