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Picked up some A. borelli "Belle Union"

aarhud

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343
I went to the Atlanta auction Sunday and was able to grab some sweet Apistogramma. Thought I would share a quick picture of one of the A. borelli males. I picked up 2 males and 3 females. I plan on hanging onto this strain.



 

dwarfpike

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5 Year Member
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176
Location
Seattle, Wa
That is a darn impressive male. Isn't Belle Union a Uruguay location? Do the southern borelli need the cooldown period like the Gymnogeophagus?
 

aarhud

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343
Yes, belle union is a Uruguay population, I'm pretty sure these are f1 fry from the wild fish Ken Davis brought back. I asked the guy that was selling them about the cool down period, and he said his fish experience a cool down from winter to summer just because the temperature of his fishroom fluctuate. I think the lowest he said his room gets is 68 F. Hopefully Mike will chime in and give his opinion.

On my computer screen, the picture represents what the male looks like pretty well. I bought another male, and he is not quite as impressive as far as finnage and size, but still has the same great color. When these guys flare out to impress a female, its amazing!
 

MonteSS

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282
Beautiful fish. One of my fav Apisto.

I hope my Blue Borelli grow out to near that nice.

....Bill
 

Mike Wise

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Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
I don't believe that A. borellii from Uruguay absolutely require a cool-down period. After all, we have had this species from areas in Argentina for decades, where the climate is the same. I've never heard/read where a cool-down period was needed for these populations.
 

aarhud

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Thanks Mike.

MonteSS, I never liked borelli until seeing these guys in person. I guess Apistogramma in general just don't photograph all that well.
 

Mike Wise

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I guess most come from Brazil & Bolivia now, but in the 70s & 80s we got fish from Paraguay and Argentina. The first A. borellii in the hobby (mid-1930s) came from Argentina.
 

dwarfpike

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176
Location
Seattle, Wa
That makes sense since one of the first cichlids in the hobby was A. facetus, I guess I just never associated the two. I guess in Seattle two plus two equals fifteen. :oops:
 

aarhud

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5 Year Member
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343
The male is trying his best to coax both of his females into spawning, but they are not responding. I have a trio in a 20 long, as soon as a female spawns I'll remove the male and extra female.
 

aarhud

Active Member
5 Year Member
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343
A week ago I lost one of the females, leaving me with 2m2f. I started to worry, stepped up water changes and added more cover to the tank. Also added oak leaves.

Today I noticed one female is guarding a pot and not coming out. I'm fighting the temptation to lift the pot and take a look lol. I have not been this excited about a possible spawn in a long time. I always feel better after I have some fry for insurance.

PH 6.8 to 7
GH- around 4
KH- around 4
211 MicroS
 

aarhud

Active Member
5 Year Member
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343
Confirmed the eggs, I had to take a look. Hopefully did not upset mom too much.
 

aarhud

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
343
At what stage is sex determined? I had the temperature close to 80 when the fish spawned. I later read on a local forum that the higher temps resulted in a lot more males than females. I then slowly dropped the tank to 73-74. So will I get more females as long as the temperature changed prior to the eggs hatching?
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
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2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
I then slowly dropped the tank to 73-74. So will I get more females as long as the temperature changed prior to the eggs hatching?
Should do, it is a bit strange but sex determination occurs in the 30 days following hatching, details here: <http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/i...amma-id-guide-to-young-fish.12669/#post-69404>.

Reference is "Environmental determination of sex in Apistogramma(Cichlidae) and two other freshwater fishes (Teleostei) by U Romer, W Beisenherz". Journal of Fish Biology Volume 48, Issue 4, pages 714–725, April 1996

cheers Darrel
 

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