Distribution & phylogeny of Apistogramma Species Groups

[Apistonaut]

Hi everyone,

I finished reading Mike Wise's Paleogeography of South America and its effects on the distribution
& phylogeny of Apistogramma-species-groups and was left with a more thorough understanding of the distribution of Apistogramma. I quickly found the need to create an account here. I believe I had one, but lost the credentials to my email for recovery.

You can find that article on Tom Christoffersen's website here: https://www.tomc.no/page.aspx?pageid=119
I really enjoyed it, as Mike took a less rigid approach since he didn't intend for it to be a peer-reviewed publication.

I was left with a lot of questions about how both Nannostomus and Paracheirodon species were distributed due to the same hydrologic changes and why many species from the Amazon were encouraged to have such dramatic coloration, while others did not while simultaneously residing in the same rivers and shallows. I don't have an incredible grasp on Apistogramma and other SA dwarf cichlids, but this also leads me to wonder about the origins of less traditional dwarf cichlids, like Laetacara and Nannocara.

Another fascination would be to see a geographic overlay of all species' distribution on top of black, partial-black, and clear waters. I keep my Apistos in clear water at around 77f with lower lighting and virtually no TDS, but have never chased acidic blackwater conditions. If anyone has any suggestions on that, I'd love to hear. I have found, with no real argument, to just emulate the data that Tom Christoffersen publishes at collection sites. I've added a DI pass through my RO system and have been achieving 0-10ppm in my non-community Apisto tanks.

Ultimately, I would encourage anyone to read Mike's work above as a firm introduction to Apistogramma and the nature of the fish. I have an A. Panduro (A183) pair (and their recent clutch) and am left confused by how ornate and unique the color morph is compared to its ancestor A. Cacatuoides, or any other wild Apistogramma for that matter. It's great to see not only their waters, but how those waters came about.

Thanks for the article, Mike, and for generating resources for amateur hobbyists like myself.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I keep my Apistos in clear water at around 77f with lower lighting and virtually no TDS, but have never chased acidic blackwater conditions. If anyone has any suggestions on that, I'd love to hear.

We think some humic, fulvic and tannic substances are important in fish health, particularly for "blackwater" fish, that have evolved in situations with a very low microbial load.

They may also help with osmoregulation. There are some papers linked into this thread: <"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/blackwater-tank-cycling.25226/page-2#post-123685"> (if you have time I'd read this whole thread) and a hobbiest's review in Colin Dunlop's <"All the leaves are brown">.

I should have said that Colin has kept (and bred) a fantastic range of fish.

cheers Darrel

 

[Apistonaut]

Hi all,

We think some humic, fulvic and tannic substances are important in fish health, particularly for "blackwater" fish, that have evolved in situations with a very low microbial load. They may also help with osmoregulation. There are some papers linked into this thread: <"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/blackwater-tank-cycling.25226/page-2#post-123685"> (if you have time I'd read this whole thread) and a hobbiest's review in Colin Dunlop's <"All the leaves are brown">.

cheers Darrel

Thank you Darrel, I will tee this up for my morning read.

 

[Apistonaut]

Hi all,

We think some humic, fulvic and tannic substances are important in fish health, particularly for "blackwater" fish, that have evolved in situations with a very low microbial load.

They may also help with osmoregulation. There are some papers linked into this thread: <"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/blackwater-tank-cycling.25226/page-2#post-123685"> (if you have time I'd read this whole thread) and a hobbiest's review in Colin Dunlop's <"All the leaves are brown">.

I should have said that Colin has kept (and bred) a fantastic range of fish.

cheers Darrel

Thank you for the link to the thread. I see the song and dance of pH and EC balancing. I am starting with RO/DI water at 0 TDS. Our tap is about 225 TDS, much of it being calcium and alkaline salts so I don't even entertain it. I'm in the Great Lakes so we have a fair bit of metals as well.

We will play with botanicals and litter for now and rely on EC readings in mS/cm to base both values. I may not be able to do any dramatic changes as I have my Apisto livestock in. I am going to add quite a bit more drift wood and see how some botanicals behave.

What organic matter do you prefer to subtly introduce fulvic and humic compounds? I may consider peat and introduce it to the filter, but I am unsure how much. It is a 60x36x36cm, ~20 gallons for the pair. They are the only occupants. I understand encouraging humic compounds to accumulate may take some time.

I am in a northern arboreal range, so we don't have much leaf fall in the summer, or many species that do it nearby. I might have to resort to finding some litter online from species folks mentioned in that thread. Do you treat your botanicals/leaves before introducing to the tank?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

What organic matter do you prefer to subtly introduce fulvic and humic compounds?

Dead deciduous leaves and Alder (Alnus ssp.) "cones" <"https://www.aqualog.de/en/blog-en/medicinal-trees-the-common-alder/">. Oak (Quercus spp.) leaves are usually pretty good - <"https://flnps.org/native-plants/quercus-oaks">.

I think you should also have Alnus rubra cones <"available to to you">?

I may consider peat and introduce it to the filter, but I am unsure how much

Sphagnum peat is the one you want, personally I don't use it any more due to environmental concerns, but it works really well.

I might have to resort to finding some litter online from species folks mentioned in that thread

<"Tannin Aquatics"> sell a range of products, but I've always pyo.

Do you treat your botanicals/leaves before introducing to the tank?

No, just a quick rinse to get rid of any dust, but I've usually <"picked them up"> just before I've put them in the tank.

cheers Darrel

 

[Apistonaut]

Hi all,

Dead deciduous leaves and Alder (Alnus ssp.) "cones" <"https://www.aqualog.de/en/blog-en/medicinal-trees-the-common-alder/">. Oak (Quercus spp.) leaves are usually pretty good - <"https://flnps.org/native-plants/quercus-oaks">.

I think you should also have Alnus rubra cones <"available to to you">?

Sphagnum peat is the one you want, personally I don't use it any more due to environmental concerns, but it works really well.

<"Tannin Aquatics"> sell a range of products, but I've always pyo.

No, just a quick rinse to get rid of any dust, but I've usually <"picked them up"> just before I've put them in the tank.

cheers Darrel

Thanks, Darrel.

I'm understanding now that I'm aiming towards more of a 'faux blackwater' at this point. I think the humic compounds and tannins will be a better environment for them nonetheless.

I'm training for a running race so I will keep my eye out for Alder cones once they mature and fall.

Best

 

[Mike Wise]

I'm glad that you found my article interesting. As a geological history buff whose MS thesis dealt with biostratigaphy (correlation between species distribution, environment and time) I find that the hydrologic changes that occurred over time and species distribution an interesting topic. Apistos aren't the only group of fish that show distribution patterns related to hydrologic changes. Species of the genus Paracheirodon, for example, follow the same distribution pattern as the bitaeniata-group. Nannostomus needs a thorough revision, mainly because Dr. Stanley Weitzman, who was an authority on nannostmins, was a strict "lumper" taxinomically and because he was (and still is) revired no one wanted to intrude on his ideas. As for color, well most really colorful apisto species live in blackwater where being seen by potential mates and adversaries is important. This is more species dependent than species-group dependent. A. cacatuoides, for example, is not as colorful as A. sp. cruzeiro. Both are cacatuoides-group species but cacatuoides is primarily found in clearwater while A. sp. Cruzeiro, which has brighter and more metallic scales, is strictly black water. Some fish want to be seen, especially schooling and territorial species. Others, not so much. We also need to realize that color photo receptors will vary depending on the fish.