How to distinguish A. borelli from A. "steel blue"?

[dheideman]

Let me start by saying I don't own any of either at this point, although I've wanted some true borelli for quite a while. Unfortunately, every time I've seen them, they seem to be "dubious" in quality, health, no females, or possible "steel blue" hybrids instead of the true A. borelli.

So my question is this: I've gone through and read all the forum threads on the subject, and looked at quite a few photos, so I'm beginning to get a feel for the differences in the two animals, but I'm still mediocre at best at telling them apart. What are the surefire characteristics in finnage, body shape, color, pattern/markings, etc, to distinguish borelli from "steel blue"? What's the best and easiest thing(s) to look for to make sure you know what animal you're dealing with?

 

[aquaticclarity]

That is a hard question to answer dheideman. I'm sure Mike will give you a much better in-depth answer but look at the color and the body shape.

Steel Blue Apistos tend to be stockier with an "average" dorsal fin; it's tall but not gigantic. Steel Blue Apistos also have a solid blue sheen over the entire body and some reddish markings in the face. Look for a tank full of near carbon copies of each other. Even the females often have a fair amount of blue on them, making them hard to distinguish from the males.

A. borellii are stocky but a little thinner in build then steel blues. The dorsal is sail like, in mature males being tall and ending in a point that often extends as far back as the end of the tail. The color is again mainly a blue sheen, but there is more of a yellow base color that pokes through, especially in the head area. Variation is also a decent indicator of a tank full of A. borellii. The fish have many different color variations (yellow face, red face, "opal", etc.) and many of these color types may be present in one batch of fry or one wild caught group of fish. Of course some of this diversity is minimized through selective breeding focusing on specific traits, but in general you should see some color variation in a tank full of A. borellii. Females will be smaller, stocky and lack the big fins and color of the males.

Jeff

 

[Mike Wise]

Jeff has excellent points. I think that the easiest method that the average hobbyist has for separating the 2 species is looking at the tail fin. A. borellii will always have a caudal without spot markings/pattern. A. sp. Steel-blue/Blaukopf will always have a tail with a pattern of spots. This plus Jeff's suggestions should help you separate the 2 species.

 

[dheideman]

Thanks to the both of you. That's incredibly helpful information for me to file away in my brain for later.