Agassizii Vs Nijsseni

[chris1805]

I'm trying to find out which of the two apisto's is less aggressive. I know they can both chase their females a lot but which one do you guys think is more aggressive? Also towards other fish and dwarf cichlids. I think myself the Nijsseni is more aggressive but would like to hear some opinions of you guys since i never had Agassizii myself.

 

[rr16]

I would agre that A. nijsseni seem more aggressive, but I don't have a great deal of experience. My A. nijsseni male chases the female I put in. Back when I thought he was A. panduro you knew the female A. panduro had eggs because she would chase him rather than him chasing her, so I guess I'll know when my female lays! I think it's important to make sure they have enough cover, particularly leaf litter to help them hide. However, my A. agassizi male has two females, one with wrigglers and one probably with eggs in the same end of the tank and he chased the male A. barlowi, which is about 4 times bigger than him. A. agassizi seems better with his females though.

 

[Mike Wise]

You are looking at 2 species with rather different behaviors. A. agassizii is a polygamous species. A. nijsseni tends to be monogamous during breeding cycles. As such, A. agassizii will aggressively try to drive any female who is not ready to breed out of his territory. Most other fish are ignored, except possibly other bottom-dwelling species. A. nijsseni is more choosy with mates. Not all potential mates are accepted and these are driven away. When an acceptable mate is found there is less aggression between them even when not breeding. Nijsseni-group species appear more aggressive to other fish because there are 2 fish, not just the female, protecting their offspring.

 

[chris1805]

Ah i got it, thanks a lot guys!