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Apistogramma macmasteri Red Shoulder

Szawack

New Member
Messages
18
Hi yall I recently re set up my fluval flex 33 gallon. I went to the fish store and got a pair of Apistogramma macmasteri red shoulder, 5 orange venezualan cories, and Colombian Ramshorn. My question is are the Apistogramma red shoulder a naturally occurring form in the wild. I am a sucker for wild varieties just curious thanks!
 

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MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,592
Location
Germany
The "original" red shoulder were a wild form, yes. But what you usually get sold under that name are of a domestic breed with enhanced colours.
Your pictures are a bit toodark and wonky to tell what you actually got there.
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,592
Location
Germany
The picture is as old as me... Don't know whether I should feel old or young right now. :D

Nice fish, but for sure not what is sold under that moniker nowerdays.
 

anewbie

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,883
The picture is as old as me... Don't know whether I should feel old or young right now. :D

Nice fish, but for sure not what is sold under that moniker nowerdays.
You're just a child give it another 40 years and then you should feel old.
 

Szawack

New Member
Messages
18
Ok sounds good thanks guys for the clarifications, for mean if they have jsut bred to get better colors with every generation is not as big of a deal for me, because I am sure that they do that for every farm raised fish to make more people buy them. I am just not a fan of when they start to selectively breed, I feel that is taking nature out. Sorry if I am explaining that correctly thats whenever I buy a fish I ask About that.
 

anewbie

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,883
Ok sounds good thanks guys for the clarifications, for mean if they have jsut bred to get better colors with every generation is not as big of a deal for me, because I am sure that they do that for every farm raised fish to make more people buy them. I am just not a fan of when they start to selectively breed, I feel that is taking nature out. Sorry if I am explaining that correctly thats whenever I buy a fish I ask About that.
The problem with selective breeding for colours is that it also makes it more difficult for fishes to signal each other as well as usually introduce negative recessive trait which are less healthy (as a by product of getting the genes for better colour). In nature the weaker fish is less likely to breed or live as long and therefore gets weeded out though in some pools where there might not be predators and fishes don't bully the weak this might not happen.
 

Szawack

New Member
Messages
18
The problem with selective breeding for colours is that it also makes it more difficult for fishes to signal each other as well as usually introduce negative recessive trait which are less healthy (as a by product of getting the genes for better colour). In nature the weaker fish is less likely to breed or live as long and therefore gets weeded out though in some pools where there might not be predators and fishes don't bully the weak this might not happen.
True exactly thats why I try to get fish that are wild type or as close to wild type, like the red shoulder macmasteri I got, I remember Mike mentioned before that out of all the wild type macmasteri the red shoulder are closest to the wild form and display like it. And I agree with everything.
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,592
Location
Germany
We're very much of the same opinion here.

And indeed, colour breeding includes several generations of selective line breeding. Basically inbreeding.
 

Szawack

New Member
Messages
18
We're very much of the same opinion here.

And indeed, colour breeding includes several generations of selective line breeding. Basically inbreeding.
For sure thanks! Also do you know of good companions you’ve done before with them?
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,592
Location
Germany
I tend to choose tetras, pencil fish and sometimes small catfish (not Corydoras, not plecos!) according to the habitat.

So... It can be anything from these categories.
 

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