Apisto. Viejita?

[lcwei96094]

Hi,

I bought this pair few months ago and the seller claimed that they are A. Viejita wild caught F1. Knowing that how hard it is to get a real Viejita, I have doubt in his words, let alone "wild caught" :biggrin: What do you think?

After with me for few months, there are no "action" yet. This makes me wonder are they really "pair"?

Attached are a few pics of the male. The female is very shy and very hard to snap a decent photo of her.

Female at the back.

The male.

Thanks.

 

[Mike Wise]

You have an unusual form and I think that they represent a wild form, too. Sadly, they aren't A. viejita. They're A. macmasteri Yelow (A120).

 

[Apistomaster]

I think the majority of the wild Apistogramma viejita tend to be actually different forms of A. macmasteri.
However, that does not mean wild A. viejita are never imported but they are likely to be mixed in with A. macmasteri so selecting pairs can be very difficult and often out of one's control when buying them on line.

 

[Mike Wise]

Personally, I have only seen the true A. viejita once. It was at an ACA convention back in the late 1990s. I did a double-take when I walked by a tank with 100+ A. viejita. All were the same species. These didn't come in a contaminants, but as a shipment. I think that we don't see the true A. viejita because it's easier for collectors to collect the more colorful Rotrücken/Red-shoulder A. macmasteri. Why go farther of your way to collect a less colorful fish?

 

[dpien]

They look almost exactly like my fish, which I also thought may be A. viejita (see the thread on here from a month ago). Mike was kind enough to put a proper pic of my male on there as well. As Mike says, yours is just a more yellow variant.
From your first pic, I think you may have two males. Just check the pelvic fins (even anal fin) and the ventral area of the 'female'. There should be considerable black markings and the male should not have these.