Borellii habitat?

[Brett]

Hey,
I'm looking at setting up a biotope based around Apistogramma Borellii and would like to know what there habitat looks like?
I currenlty have some in a planted tank with cardinals and ottos but would like to set it up to be accurate. What tankmates would be suitable and whats plants if any, are suitable?

Thanks,
Brett

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I think Otocinclus spp. are present in their habitat, but they live a long way away from the Rio Negro and Cardinal Tetras.

Apistogramma borellii lives in vegetated waters, often in very shallow situations. They have a wide distribution in S. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and N. Argentina and this extends into areas with a sub-tropical climate and colder winter. Mayland and Bork list (Have a look here: <http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/showthread.php?11969-Possible-tankmates-for-new-tank-%28130-liters%29> and at Mike W's posts) some plants they were collected with mainly the floater Eichhornia azurea , which you can buy, but is tricky to grow.

Other plants they mention are 2 "Papyrus", Cyperus californicus & C. reflexus and another floater Limnanthemum humboldtianum (possibly now correctly Nymphoides indica). There is a picture in this paper of the habitat <http://www.checklist.org.br/getpdf?NGD032-10>.

You should be able to get a fish and plant list for a generic "Pantanal" biotope, with plants like Echinodorus spp., definitely E. tenellus and fish like Corydoras hastatus & Aphyocharax paraguayensis.

A full fish list is here,via "Fishbase": <http://fish.mongabay.com/data/Paraguay.htm>.

cheers Darrel

 

[miguelozer]

http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/i...m-natural-biotope-argentine-corrientes.14700/

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
<http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/index.php?threads/borelli-from-natural-biotope-argentine-corrientes.14700/>
Brilliant thread, you can see a Salvinia sp. in the photo's, and obviously a grass, and also either a sedge (Carex sp.) or possibly a vegetative Cyperus sp in the foreground.

Grasses listed for wet areas in N. Uruguay are "Arsitida sp., Axonompus compressus, Eragrostis "lagers", Panicum bergii, Paspalum notatum & P. urvillei" but it is "pick a name" really.

A lot of grasses/sedges and Cyperus spp. would grow emergent, but the only 2 aquatic ones I can think of are
Hygroryza aristata, which is a floater from SE Asia and didn't like life with me, and Cyperus helferi, which is both also Asian and rapidly "shuffled off it's mortal coil" in my care, possibly because it isn't really aquatic and needs added CO2.

cheers Darrel

 

[miguelozer]

Hi all,
<http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/index.php?threads/borelli-from-natural-biotope-argentine-corrientes.14700/>
Brilliant thread, you can see a Salvinia sp. in the photo's, and obviously a grass, and also either a sedge (Carex sp.) or possibly a vegetative Cyperus sp in the foreground.

Grasses listed for wet areas in N. Uruguay are "Arsitida sp., Axonompus compressus, Eragrostis "lagers", Panicum bergii, Paspalum notatum & P. urvillei" but it is "pick a name" really.

A lot of grasses/sedges and Cyperus spp. would grow emergent, but the only 2 aquatic ones I can think of are
Hygroryza aristata, which is a floater from SE Asia and didn't like life with me, and Cyperus helferi, which is both also Asian and rapidly "shuffled off it's mortal coil" in my care, possibly because it isn't really aquatic and needs added CO2.

cheers Darrel

plants I saw were nymphoides indica, Cabomba caroliniana and other floating, then a plant that did not know, no see before, when I have free time I'll upload a photo.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

when I have free time I'll upload a photo.

If you can please do. I'll definitely have a go at it, although finding the right name is still quite unlikely.

I tend to be much better at plant ID's rather than cichlids.

Nymphoides indica is sometimes available I think.

cheers Darrel