Advice required

[Mike]

Can anyone please advise me please.

I dont know much about apistos, but i am experienced with Discus and Rams.


My LFS have just acquired a batch, too many in the tank though, so lots of fights happening. ( hardly ever see any round here)

I was considering purchasing 2. A male and female.

There looks to be 2 varieties in the tank though.

Can anyone please advise.

Tank labelled as Cacatuoids Double red

1st type.

about 1.5" long
Abino Body colour.
Finnage Flame red on doral and tail fins. (similar to guppies)
Red eyes.

Similar to this http://www.aappeal.com/ts/25/001/full/male2.jpg
Pure albino body though, same finnage

2nd type.

No red finnage
Solid black line down the lateral line.
Two thin black line just under lateral line, going about 1/3rd way down body.
Black eyes.
4 or 5 black spots just under dorsal fin.

Similar to this http://members.iinet.net.au/~bchor/cacutoidesfemale.jpg


I presume that these varieties are different ?

Can they cross breed ?

Are both compatible with Rams (blue) and Discus. I gather a few varieties are not.

I have done a lot of reading, but not read much on mixing different species, if thats what i have seen.

Do different species breed with one another?

Thanks In advance

Mike

 

[Neil]

Mike,
It is entirely likely that your LFS has the male and female of a tank-raised strain of cacatuoides. It is also likely that they are of the same strain. Regardless, there is no problem in breeding them together, if they are, in fact, both cacs.
The tank labeled double red sounds like male Yellow/Golds or Red/Golds,etc. The other tank may well be the females. However, they could be a different strain. Maybe even wild. If that is the case, IMO, it is even more reason to get a female from the second tank to breed with a male from the first tank. wild genes in a heavily hybridized fish will add stregnth to the genepool and cut down on breeding disfunction and fry deformity.
Neil