Apisto macmasteri

[Newyorkrangers88]

Just purchased 2 macmasteri . Once I got home I realized the males mouth was stuck open. I figured he may just be stressed but this morning it was still wide open . He swims around but didn’t eat much the first day ( frozen blood worms ). Is this something normal with new apistos ? Could it be lock jaw ? Or some type of disease ? There in a 15 gallon tank. There the only fish in there. PH is around 6.5 tempature is 79 nitrate nitrite and ammonia is all at 0. Please help!

 

[Mike Wise]

I hate to say it, but the jaws are locked open. It occurs on apistos from time to time and sadly there is nothing one can do about it. Either the fish is able to un-lock its jaws (rare) or slowly starves. I suggest taking it back to the store for replacement.

 

[anewbie]

I hate to say it, but the jaws are locked open. It occurs on apistos from time to time and sadly there is nothing one can do about it. Either the fish is able to un-lock its jaws (rare) or slowly starves. I suggest taking it back to the store for replacement.

Is this just a generic problem with these fishes (and it even occurs in the wild) or is it due to inbreeding to get colour strain in domestic varieties ?

 

[Newyorkrangers88]

I hate to say it, but the jaws are locked open. It occurs on apistos from time to time and sadly there is nothing one can do about it. Either the fish is able to un-lock its jaws (rare) or slowly starves. I suggest taking it back to the store for replacement.

Yes he told me he will replace it if it dies

 

[yukondog]

Any fish that I have had with this dies, apisto's are the only fish I had, that have ever got it.

 

[Mike Wise]

Is this just a generic problem with these fishes (and it even occurs in the wild) or is it due to inbreeding to get colour strain in domestic varieties ?

I doubt that it is genetic since we do not see it that often and almost never in multiple specimens from a single batch of fry. My guess is that it is due to being put on the wrong substrate (particles are too large to 'mouth' comfortably). Another possibility is that they yawn so wide that their jaws lock open and cannot unlock them.

 

[Newyorkrangers88]

I doubt that it is genetic since we do not see it that often and almost never in multiple specimens from a single batch of fry. My guess is that it is due to being put on the wrong substrate (particles are too large to 'mouth' comfortably). Another possibility is that they yawn so wide that their jaws lock open and cannot unlock them.

Unfortunately I think he is going to be a goner . Should I take him out of my tank with the female ? Or just leave him and see what happens ?

 

[yukondog]

See if the store will let you swap him out now before he dies and start over, if not I would leave him in with the female and [ maybe ] they will mate before he dies and just swap him out after he goes.

 

[Newyorkrangers88]

See if the store will let you swap him out now before he dies and start over, if not I would leave him in with the female and [ maybe ] they will mate before he dies and just swap him out after he goes.

That’s the plan I just don’t want the female to get sick you know ?

 

[yukondog]

If it's contagious I have never had it spread, at least in my tanks. I have only seen it four times, and every time it resultid in death.

 

[Newyorkrangers88]

If it's contagious I have never had it spread, at least in my tanks. I have only seen it four times, and every time it resultid in death.

Yeah when I got home today he was dead in a plant :/ . Will I have issues introducing the new make to the existing female ? She looks rather small still . And is yellow with a black vertical line on her side , not sure if she’s even a macmasteri or not

 

[yukondog]

Keep a eye on her, if she is yellow she is ready to breed or if your lucky he may have had enough in him to fertilize before he became fertilizer.
can you post a picture of her and the tank?

 

[Newyorkrangers88]

Here’s a pic or 2

 

[Mike Wise]

Looks like A. cacatuoides from what I can see.

 

[Newyorkrangers88]

Looks like A. cacatuoides from what I can see.

They sold it to me as a macmasteri

 

[MacZ]

They sold it to me as a macmasteri

It's a widespread problem that store employees are notoriously bad at ID-ing the species or a strain and then go by what's on the shipment papers. If they are unable to connect all names with the fish they got delivered they sometimes just randomly put a name from the list on a tank with the fish from that shipment. Prices for most domestic strains are irrelevant mostly, they often charge by size, not strain. So two strains in the same size go for the same price.

 

[Newyorkrangers88]

It’s not the price. I wanted to breed them . But now I don’t even know what species I have, so Idon’t know what male to fish to look for now .

 

[MacZ]

I think Mike's ID is correct.

 

[Newyorkrangers88]

Do they require the same water parameters?

 

[anewbie]

cockatoo are pretty relaxed in requirements on water condition which is one of the reasons they are so popular.