Cotton Apistos? Help!

[NiagaraTap]

Hi everybody,

I recently ordered some Wild Panduro Apistos from a LFS. Waited 2 months to get them in from Peru. 6 arrived. When I went down to see them I found out they weren't what I ordered... but I was really okay with that. He said they came in listed as "Apistogramma Cotton Dwarf Cichlid". They kinda look like a Panduro but had a lot of blueish colours in them. The price is no different either. I noticed he also got about a dozen Irinidae Apistos with the same order. I told him I would go home and do some research today and get back to him tm. I Can't find anything on these guys to assure myself that they will do well in my tank.

My Setup: 50 gallon barebottom, double sponge filtration. Small HOB filter with peat. dimly lit and adequately decorated.

Water: RODI/Tap, 6.5 pH, 3gH, 2 kH, temp 77F

 

[Tom C]

"Apistogramma Cotton"
The "strange commercial names on Apistogramma"-story seems to never end.....:biggrin:
I have never heard this name before.
I suspect that a "clever" guy has been translating something from Spanish here.
"Cotton" is "Algodón" in Spanish.

There are at least 2 - 3 species of Apistogramma that often are exported labeled with this name:
Apistogramma sp. "Papagei" are often labeled Apistogramma sp. "Algodon I", and Apistogramma sp. "Putumayo" are often exported under the name Apistogramma sp. "Algodon II".
Sometimes even the closely related Apistogramma sp. "Pebas" (included the form "Morado") are given an "Algodon"-name.
The last one out to be sold as Apistogramma sp. "Algodon" is Apistogramma sp. "Roca Eterna".
More confusion: The name "Algodón" refers to the Rio Algodón in Peru; amazingly none of the actual species named after it, are found in this river!

I suggest you have a look at pictures of the mentioned species (A. sp. "Papagei", A. sp. "Pebas", A. sp. "Pebas" ("Morado"), A. sp. "Putumayo" and A. sp. "Roca Eterna"). Several of them have color forms that can show some bluish colour.
If they are still hard to ID, post some pictures of the fish (showing well the black markings on the body) in the ID-section here.

.....I noticed he also got about a dozen Irinidae Apistos with the same order...

Apistogramma iniridae are only found in Colombia, and I have never heard of them being exported from Peru.

...My Setup: 50 gallon barebottom, ...

Why barebottom?
I strongly believe that most Apistogramma species won't thrive in the long term without fine sand on the bottom.

Frank Schäfer wrote not long ago:
"Especially the sand is important and the meaning of it often underestimated.
In fact the sand is more important than the water chemistry (hardness, pH).
In the wild, these fish feed mainly on particles they find in the sand.
To find them the fish takes a mouth full of sand, chews the sand and releases the sand through the gill openings.
Food particles attach on special anatomical structures on the gill arches and can be swallowed subsequently.
In case an Apistogramma can find no sand it comes in a situation comparably to humans that get no opportunity to clean their teeth.
This may work for a while, but in most cases sooner or later one becomes sick of it."

I wish you good luck!

 

[NiagaraTap]

Thanks Tom,

Yes I agree I should have sand on the bottom. Originally the tank was set up for discus. He mentioned that they were coming in from various places in SA but were being sent from a guy based in Peru who acclimates and prepares them for exporting. I am not sure what is or is not possible in terms of all that...

I looked into the the species you mentioned. They look exactly like the A. sp. Putumayo. No doubt about it. You have solved my problem. I will post pictures of these guys once I have them and they are settled in.