Info on A. borellii

[Michael in Texas]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and recently back into the aquarium hobby after a long absence. While looking for small fish for my planted aquarium, I found a pair of A. borellii. I've had them about a month, and really like them.

Now I am trying to learn all I can about them. I've done the google search and read all the articles that came up. What tips can you experienced people give me? Right now these fish are the largest inhabitants of a heavily planted community aquarium, but I am thinking of setting up a species tank.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[dw1305]

Hi Michael,
Have a look at this web-site <http://www.dwarfcichlid.com>, particularly at <http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/Aquarium_care.php>. There are details for A. borellii <http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/Apistogramma_borellii.php> and also for A. "Steel-blue" which is widely sold under a number of names,
<http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/Apistogramma_sp_Steel_blue.php> and often masquerades as A. borellii.

cheers Darrel

 

[Michael in Texas]

Darrel, thank you! I came across that web site before I bought my fish, and it encouraged me that I could be successful with borellii despite my rather hard, alkaline water (pH 7.8, KH 160 ppm, GH 150 ppm), as did the entry on Serously Fish. I did not read the article on 'Steel blue' carefully the first time. From the descriptions in it and the article on borellii, I am confident that my fish are borellii and not a hybrid.

One thing I would like advice on is stocking rates. My pair are currently in a 20 gallon, and tend to stay in one half of the tank. I did attempt to add another female, but she rapidly developed dropsy and had to be euthanized. Do you think it would be possible to keep multiple females in this tank?

If I set up a species tank, it will probably be a 40 gallon. Would it be possible to keep two pairs in this size tank, our would it be better to stay with one male and several females?

--Michael

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

our would it be better to stay with one male and several females?

I'd definitely go for one male and several females. One female tend to lead to the male continually harrassing her, and 2 females often leads to the females fighting. Three or more females tends to spread aggression all around.

ApistoBob from "dwarfcichlids" is a member here and his web pages are full of good advice. I wouldn't worry too much about the parameters for your water but concentrate much more on water quality, all Apisto's need really good quality water.

If you keep following this forum and you follow the suggestions in http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/Aquarium_care.php you won't go far wrong.

A.borellii is a small, fairly mellow cichlid so aggression shouldn't be too big a problem.

Best of luck, Darrel

 

[Apistomaster]

I have kept a trio of A. borelli in a 16 inch long, 4.5 gal tank with a fine sand blasting quartz sand bottom, 2 notched pots and some Hornwort and each female spawned and cared for their respective fry so you have a great deal of latitude in a larger tank. The male participated in later brood care but mostly defended the tank from imaginary enemies.
I usually breed these as trios in a 10 gal tank.

I have had difficulties finding a good strain of the "Opal" morph. I don't care much for the "Yellow" morph but even Opals produce some Yellows. Last I had were a wild pair of Opals and kept them going through F4 generation. I waited too long to spawn my last specimens so they died out.
Here is my last F4 opal male. Almost as blue as a Blue Chromis, reef damselfish.

His mate:

 

[Michael in Texas]

Beautiful fish, and thanks for the suggestions on tank size.

My female looks very similar to yours in the photo. My male is not quite as blue. The top of his head is blue-green, with gill covers, lower jaw, and throat yellow.

Are the color varieties of this species geographic varients, or have they been selectively bred? How many color varieties are there?

--Michael

 

[Apistomaster]

Colors vary widely in the wild and captivity.
Most tank raised strains have been subject to some selective breeding but not much compared to A. agassizi and A. cacatuoides to name a few. You see a gradation among wilds with many intermediate forms with traits of both the very blue and those with more yellow. All the females look the same.