Apistogramma cf. agassizii (pastel)?

[lachris]

I recently purchased this male Apisto. As usual it's not what it said on the tank i the shop. I bought it as A. atahualpa, which it is definately not. I think it may be young A. cf. agassizii (Pastel)... Can anyone help? (Sorry about the picture quality. The camera and the photographer of the family was out, so I was stuck with the old compact camera...)

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, it looks like a Pastel. Now, where are the females???

 

[lachris]

I only have one female, and here she is

Rubbish pictures, but I'll try another photo-session now and publish some more photos in a short while!

 

[lachris]

Here are some more pictures:

 

[Mike Wise]

Bummer! Just what I was afraid of. It's a female A. atahualpa.

 

[lachris]

Ah. That was what I thought as well. So - basically what I need to do is to exchange the male for an atahualpa male. I'll try. The store where I bought them is a good one and I am sure, if they actually have an atahualpa male, it will be no problem.

Thank you for the identification!

 

[lachris]

Now, I have got another male:

This is an atahualpa male, right?

 

[lachris]

And here is another female that I hope match the agassizii "Pastel" male:

Any thoughts?

 

[lachris]

And here is the atahualpa female, now in full colour:

 

[edwliang]

they are beautiful fish

 

[lachris]

And here is another female that I hope match the agassizii "Pastel" male:
...
Any thoughts?

The more I look, I think both females look quite similar... Is the new female yet another atahualpa female...?

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, these are all A. atahualpa except the male aggie in the first post.

 

[lachris]

That's not what I wanted to hear, but thanks anyway. Any hints as to what to look for when trying to spot an agassizii female among bitaeniata and atahualpa would be much appreciated...

 

[Mike Wise]

Your pastel aggie seems to have been a contaminant/bi-catch among the A. atahualpa. A. atahualpa females will show a caudal spot at the root of the tail. A. agassizii & A. bitaeniata females will not. A. bitaeniata females are hard to separate from aggie females in the typical LFS tank, but bitaenatas tend to be more slender, show a more distinct abdominal stripe below the lateral band, and a more squared off end on the caudal fin.

 

[lachris]

Thanks! I'll try and spot some females without caudal spots the next time I'm in the shop!

 

[Mike Wise]

Look on line for photos of female A. agassizii in neutral mood - and look for something from the atahualpa tank that looks similar. Good luck, I hope you find one/some.