A choice: Rio Xingu or Miua?

[locus]

I'm going to be getting some new Apistos in the next couple of weeks but I'm unsure of which species to choose from!

Option 1 - A. sp. Miua (wild caught)

Option 2 - A. sp. Rio Xingu

So far my dwarf cichlid experience is limited to keeping blue rams & a pair of A. macmasteri, which are all doing well.

The Miua are the most tempting of the two options, however stories of difficulty keeping this species makes me hesitant.

I haven't been able to find a great deal of info / photos of the Rio Xingu - I would be very appreciative if anyone could give me a bit of info and/or photos of these two species.

They will be housed in an established 24", 45 litre (12 gallon) tank that contains a fair bit of driftwood & plants. Filtration is an aquaclear mini that siphons through a sponge filter, my tap water tends to the slightly alkaline side so peat filtration would be used.

 

[apistodave]

Get the miua what the hell

 

[locus]

Haha sound advice!

I can get 5 wild caught Miua for AU$200, which is about US$120... what ratio of male to female should I try to go for, 2:3?

 

[apistodave]

120.00$!!!!! WAAAAAAHHHHHH !!!!!!!well it's OK I guess I have had this fish and it was difficult, I wasnt successfull so let me know how you do --2 males and 3 fems yep

 

[locus]

"Waaaah" is the sound my bank account will make when I buy them, or perhaps the sound I would make if I came home one day to find them all dead!

It's hard to get anything other than the common species of Apistos down here in Australia, what sort of price tag do these suckers have elsewhere?

 

[apistodave]

Actualll dude they arrent much cheaper here or in Europe and thts funny my wallet makes the same sound sometimes-must be the type of leather

 

[Neil]

locus,
Miua are going to be expensive where-ever you find them. They can be remarkably beautiful fish. I currently have the red form and have a spawn from them. Their requirements were a little tough to meet - very soft and acidic (4.5pH), but the dad is a great parent and does more work than the female.
Xingu is a very nice species too and might be easier to deal with in regards to water conditions. The choice is the same as always.
1. Which do you like the best.
2. How much do you have to spend
3. Can you provide the conditions affectively for their reproduction, if that is your inevitable goal

Neil

 

[locus]

Thanks for the info, Neil.

I have ordered 5 A. sp. "Miua" and will hopefully be picking them up this Friday! Suprisingly, the Rio Xingu were the exact same price. I saw some nice photos of Miua on the net and fell in love with them - they are quite a striking apisto.

My first priority is keeping them alive and healthy. Breeding might come into it down the line, as exotic species such as Miua are very rarely available around here and I'm sure there are a few locals who would like first gen Miua's for their own tanks.

Once again, thanks for the advice.