Apistogramma Eunotus

[hydrosparky]

I've been looking around the web and I have not found much on this apisto. Is it easy to keep? I want to get but I don't think my lfs have any. Anyone know a place where I can get these guys near San Diego, CA?

 

[wethumbs]

WC ones are available on AB.

 

[Mike Wise]

I believe that the "true" (holotype) form of A. eunotus has not been in the hobby since the mid-1980s. It was replaced by a similar, but more slender form, A. cf. eunotus Orangeschwanz/Orange-tail. Look for information under this name. This fish is quite common commercially. It is one of the easier apistos to keep and breed. Just keep the pH <7.0 and the water slightly hard (<15° dGH, 8° dKH) or softer. Considering the hard alkaline water in SD, I'm not surprised that apistos are not really popular.

 

[hydrosparky]

WC ones are available on AB.

What is WC? I'm assuming AB is Aquabid...

 

[slimbolen99]

WC = Wild Caught
AB = Aqua Bid www.aquabid.com

Many times you will see A. eunotus being sold as A. macmasteri. That is how I obtained mine; bought them as macmasteri, they turned out to be eunotus (Thanks Mike Wise for the ID), and they have become one of my favorite apistos. Wetspot has the A. eunotus "orangeschwanz" and the A. eunotus "blue cheek"; so you have plenty of options.

 

[hydrosparky]

What would be the difference in wild caught and domesticated versions of the A. eunotus?

 

[slimbolen99]

Not much if the strain is kept pure.
My wild A. eunotus "orangeschwanz" are very impressive. I've got quite a few of my F2 fish grown out and the only difference would be the males exhibit longer dorsal and ventral fin extensions, and maybe a tiny bit more orange in their tail. Keep in mind, I am not selectively breeding these fish; just keeping them going.

 

[elpaninaro]

I started a 37H to celebrate my move back to Austin on December 31st, and continued my gradual move away from the more showy SA species. And I have a harem of eunotus in this tank- 3 females and 1 male.

They have been a dream to work with- and they colored up nicely once they had been in their new home for about a week. They are subtly beautiful- that little patch of blue on the cheek, and a little orange in the tail. And when aroused, they can be just about as striking as any honglsoi or cacatuoides I have ever had- just in a more subtle way that enhances their surroundings rather than overtaking them.

This tank cycled very quickly, so I have had the Apistos in for about 5 weeks now. The male was frisky within a day and for almost a week now the largest female has been holed up in a cave, blazing yellow in color and attacking anything that comes near. Female #2 followed suit a couple of days ago. Time will tell if I see fry, but this is certainly the quickest move in that direction I have ever seen.

The females were quite aggressive with each other as they staked out their turf- and the male joined in when he was courting the largest female. It was more aggressive than I am used to seeing within the same species. But now that everyone has their territory laid out (plus 2 evidently in the process of raising eggs/fry) all is well. We will see what happens when the breeding cycle is complete.

Anyhow, I highly recommend the species. The male in particular is beautiful with his lyred dorsal- and he has grown quite quickly. I will try to take and post some pics this weekend. Hard to get candid shots with everyone having fun in the caves!