Hello from a sunny Kent! (UK)

[Duncan Dumbreck]

Hi All

Just joined the forum. Been keeping fish of various sorts since I was 8, and when I went away to University I broke my tank down. A year ago after graduating I decided to get it started up again. Got some A. viejita which have been spawning regularly, and some rams which look like they are going to any day now. In the process of setting up some fry tanks at the moment. Been hovering around the forum for about 5 months on and off, reading up on stuff, so thought it was about time I joined up.

I'm also a keen photographer, so with any luck/time I'll hopefully post some pics of anything cool that happens, for the moment here is one I made earlier.

I'm also a keen windsurfer/sailer.

 

[Josh]

Welcome to the forum! That's a great photo - I can't wait to see more of your shots!

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Got some A. viejita

Nice fish, you probably all ready know this, but the fish sold commercially in the UK as A. viejita is a red form of A. macmasteri.

cheers Darrel

 

[Duncan Dumbreck]

Did not know that, and now that you say that, looking through pictures, i can see it, how/why do people sell it wrongly?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Did not know that, and now that you say that, looking through pictures, i can see it, how/why do people sell it wrongly?

I don't know really, it has become a "trade name" for the colourful red forms of A. macmasteri, although it is a valid name belonging to a different fish.

In the UK the few Apistogramma commercially available in shops are often wrongly named, A. borellii is often A. "Steel-Blue" and even A. cacatuoides and A. agassizi are sometimes wrongly named. A couple of times I've told shops that the "pairs" of A. viejita they are selling (for ~ £20) are both A. macmasteri and all males, but they haven't done anything about it.

Have a look at these threads: <http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/i...-who-has-the-real-a-viejita.14578/#post-76407> & <http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/i...-who-has-the-real-a-viejita.14578/#post-76407>.

cheers Darrel

 

[Duncan Dumbreck]

I have definitely seen two different species in the same tank in a shop advertised as the same thing. One is the one in the picture in the original post, the other was slightly stockier and quite a lot darker. I bought home some exciting new specimens from a guy who was breaking down 5 tanks. Pictures to follow...

 

[Duncan Dumbreck]

So here is a picture of the first of the new additions.

and

the same fish. Still a juvenile, so has more colours to grow into.

 

[Duncan Dumbreck]

any guesses as to what it is? I have 3 of them. Just as an interesting exercise. I'm pretty certain as to what they are. (two more species to follow after this...)

 

[Duncan Dumbreck]

More pics as promised!
Female

Male

 

[Linus_Cello]

I like the plant in the first picture you posted. What is it (hopefully it's not plastic).

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Plant is a water lily (Nymphaea (stellata) "Rubra"). I'm less good with fish ID, but how about A. eunotus "Orangeschwanz" and A. sp. "Xingu"?

cheers Darrel

 

[Duncan Dumbreck]

Darrel has got the Plant spot on, sometimes known as a red tiger lotus. As for the fish, (preparing to be told otherwise?) the first is A. alto tapiche, and the second is A. veilfleck (which as far as I have read could also be labelled sp. Xingu?).

Also got some A. oregon, which I have yet to get any OK pics of.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

As for the fish, (preparing to be told otherwise?) the first is A. alto tapiche, and the second is A. veilfleck (which as far as I have read could also be labelled sp. Xingu?).

That is quite close for me, I'm awful at sexing or identifying fish, although I'm better at plants, possibly because I'm a Botanist by training. The second one is definitely Vielfleck/Xingu, you'll need Mike etc to tell you what their current taxonomic state is, quite a few people have bred them recently in the UK. This is Mike's comment from a BCA thread about them in 2011: <http://www.britishcichlid.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10090&hilit=xingu&start=10>

Both groups of fish belong to the same species: A. sp. Xingu. Ian's fish look more like the Vielfleck population while Ste's fish look more like the population Römer called A. sp. aff. Peixoto (not the same as A. sp. Peixoto). Any problems mixing them for breeding purposes? Not really; they're the same species. Would I cross the populations? No, not unless I couldn't avoid it."

Microman collected A. "Alto Tapiche" in Peru, and there have been some in the UK via Pier as well, having said that they are a very rare fish in the UK, and they would come from either of these 2 sources. <http://apisto.sites.no/fish.aspx?fishIndexID=2504&gruppeID=1> & <http://www.britishcichlid.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2757&hilit=alto tapiche>.

cheers Darrel

 

[Duncan Dumbreck]

Yeah, I had looked into them before I got them, pretty excited about them, but two of them are too small to sex (at least for my novice eye.) The one in the picture is the largest, and as far as I can tell a male.

I like the look of the veilflecks, colouration wise.

Been feeding them all on live bbs, and white worms to try and grow/condition them.

 

[Joe Gatchell]

Great photos Duncan. I've been practicing my fish photo skills for some time now, I occasionally get a nice shot, but I'm still working on getting better ones.