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Need some identification help

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
All of these are supposed to be Bocelli blue. I did have a catastrophic filter accident and had to recycle my tank. It was awful. Now I have four or possibly three... I haven't seen number four for 10 days. I made a LOT of hiding spots and it's a huge tank. (was supposed to be a colony I'm there) I saw all four together about 10 days ago, but I had thought I'd lost them all. They had hid for over a week before. Now they should be borelli blue but they look like opal males to me. Not sure though. The last is the only one I am certain is a female. Now not sure if the two males? are fighting for territory or not the large chases the other out of the feeding area constantly. I have to try and feed them separately. Please help and maybe when I move them to a different tank that I can get definite females of whichever species this is. I happen to love the attitude these guys have. Tiny Napoleon in a tank.
Also blue or opal are they same species so if I have both in tank it's ok for them to breed. I don't want to be making hybrids. I think at least one female may be guarding eggs. She stick to that cave and won't leave.
 

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Rycraft

New Member
Messages
25
These all look like A. Borelli. Opal vs blue are just color morphs from selective breeding. Apistogramma are harem breeders so if breeding is what you are after you should just have one male in the tank along with multiple females (space permitting, not sure what size tank you have here). For a harem with 3+ females I would think you would want 30 gallons minimum. Multiple males in a tank is recipe for disaster unless you have lots of females and something more like 40 to 50 gallons with lots of hiding spots.

Only one that is a female is pic 4. All others clearly look male.
 

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
These all look like A. Borelli. Opal vs blue are just color morphs from selective breeding. Apistogramma are harem breeders so if breeding is what you are after you should just have one male in the tank along with multiple females (space permitting, not sure what size tank you have here). For a harem with 3+ females I would think you would want 30 gallons minimum. Multiple males in a tank is recipe for disaster unless you have lots of females and something more like 40 to 50 gallons with lots of hiding spots.

Only one that is a female is pic 4. All others clearly look male.
They are males though right? I wasn't supposed to get a bunch of males. I don't want to order more from this person. The packing on the fish wasn't great I want to find some females locally if possible. The main male here thinks he's Napoleon. They're in a 90 gallon right now and he is still the bully. My original plan was for 1-2 males to 8 females. I was going to let them breed and raise the babies. Also why I gave them a huge tank.
Thanks for the information!
 

Aquaticloch

Active Member
Messages
153
Location
Canada eh
one of your males is missing an eye, and yes from the photos it is definitely 2 males and one female. also they are all borelii blue because they are missing the red stripes on their heads.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
I did have a catastrophic filter accident and had to recycle my tank.
I'm sorry to hear that.

I can see your plastic plants, which are fine for cover and breaking up line of sight, but a lot of us like planted tanks, partially because growing plants make you less reliant on the filter for nitrification.

When you say recycle, what exactly do you mean?

cheers Darrel
 

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
Hi all,

I'm sorry to hear that.

I can see your plastic plants, which are fine for cover and breaking up line of sight, but a lot of us like planted tanks, partially because growing plants make you less reliant on the filter for nitrification.

When you say recycle, what exactly do you mean?

cheers Darrel
My son helped me by changing the water when I was in the hospital and forgot to use declorinater in the water. I haven't told him what happened. Don't want him. to feel bad.
 

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
one of your males is missing an eye, and yes from the photos it is definitely 2 males and one female. also they are all borelii blue because they are missing the red stripes on their heads.
I thought it looked like that. These two have been going around and around in the tank. Only the one girl so.....
 

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
I thought it looked like that. These two have been going around and around in the tank. Only the one girl so.....
Hi all,

I'm sorry to hear that.

I can see your plastic plants, which are fine for cover and breaking up line of sight, but a lot of us like planted tanks, partially because growing plants make you less reliant on the filter for nitrification.

When you say recycle, what exactly do you mean?

cheers Darrel
I used to have live plants....but when in the hospital things went BAD. Don't blow out your back people ALWAYS treat it with love and kindness...Beware it's vengeful!!
 

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
This is my actual 4th fish. the one I hadn't seen for about 10 days. I moved cyclops out of my 90 gallon. (I really was trying to get Napoleon and his wife but they weren't cooperating and she kept going back to the same cave. (maybe spawned?)
Soon as Cyclops was out she? popped out of who knows where... this one definitely looks like a Female with the eye stripe but this one is like olive grayish and the other one is a pretty golden color.
 

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Rycraft

New Member
Messages
25
This is my actual 4th fish. the one I hadn't seen for about 10 days. I moved cyclops out of my 90 gallon. (I really was trying to get Napoleon and his wife but they weren't cooperating and she kept going back to the same cave. (maybe spawned?)
Soon as Cyclops was out she? popped out of who knows where... this one definitely looks like a Female with the eye stripe but this one is like olive grayish and the other one is a pretty golden color.
This looks like a female. Doubtful it's a sneaker male. When the females color up really yellow that means they are ready to spawn. Since this one isn't as yellow it isn't ready or currently does not want to spawn..
 

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
Thank you for letting me know. Now it makes sense. I had tried catching Napoleon and Josephine (male with both eyes and the gold girl). While attempting capture she dove out of sight and when she came back out he would get in front of her and flare.... Craziest thing I've ever seen. I'm kind of wondering if I was a male trying to mess with his harem. This male actually eats from my fingers. They used to be so shy... the females still are but the males like to show off and demand food on their terms. The females stay with the eggs from what I've read and seen. please tell me if I'm wrong. I how their brood (if that's the word) hatches ok.
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
If the female is on eggs, most of the time she will not feed till she brings out the fry, I have had female's leave the nest and come out and feed, but most of the time they will not leave the eggs/fry, I do target feed the female and they will poke there nose out and feed [some time's].
 

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
If the female is on eggs, most of the time she will not feed till she brings out the fry, I have had female's leave the nest and come out and feed, but most of the time they will not leave the eggs/fry, I do target feed the female and they will poke there nose out and feed [some time's].
Update!!! I have fry!! bigger than I thought and not sure how long they were hiding but they are 1/3 of an inch. No idea of how many there are. I barely got a glimpse. The females have been out and around for days. I'm wondering though if these weren't from previous eggs. They just seem bigger than I thought they would be. The other female came out a few days ago also. I bet she also has babies. The moms are hanging out in front of their caves. I'm just so excited and a little perturbed that I am staring at that tank all the time and my husband saw the babies first....
I'm also worried though. I didn't know they had babies and I put new tetras in there. I also had tiny scissortail rasboras that are getting bigger. They have been in there awhile and I have no idea how to get them out. My original plan was to move the 3 apistogramma, but that won't now. I will probably just put a ton of plants in the tank.

Thanks everyone for the apistogramma help!
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
If they just brought fry out than the larger ones were from a previous batch. Congrats on the fry. Have you started hatching any baby brine shrimp?
 

mwoodrn74

New Member
Messages
16
Yes! I actually ordered the supplies weeks ago, but some of it was lost in transit. I had to reorder. I had actually been planning on feeding mom to condition her, I will say that both females are beautiful even on a regular day. Sure they don't color the same but when they are Gold it's amazing! Plus the eye stripe makes them look fierce. It's hard to believe a fish with this much attitude is even smaller than a betta. They also think they need the 90 gallon for just them. The more I know them, the more I think Napoleon is the perfect name.
 

yukondog

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
664
Location
N.W. Fl.
I have mutable females and they all take on a different color of orange/yellow, I have one older [about three yrs. old] that turns a nice golden yellow and some [younger females] that dont get much yellow at all when on eggs/fry.
If you have the eggs and a air pump you can get started, it's quite easy.
 

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