Various Agassizii

[jimjon]

Hi guys, new here. A qns about agassizii, are there many different strains around? Are they just different color forms?

 

[Neil]

jimjon,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Agassizii has the most species-forms of any Apistogramma. There are new ones popping up all the time. Many of which are just different names for an already acknowledged form or "morph". You can see about 25 or so in Apistogramma.coms Species List:

http://www.apistogramma.com/agassizii.htm

There are alot to chose from and some very distinct looking aggies. Many show up in LFS, but usually without the form designation.
Neil

 

[jimjon]

Hi Neil, would you advise interbreeding the various forms? How do you identify the females of the various forms?

 

[Neil]

No I don't think cross-breeding is a good idea. Especially with a fish that has so many forms already. Not that I would never do it within a particular species, but I haven't seen the need. Maintaining true forms is the only way to propely disseminate fish in the hobby. Or else we will start having the same problems with Apistogramma as they do with many of the Rift Valley fish.
Females of various forms is a good example of why not to cross! You cannot tell most females apart (hold a few forms), so to know that you have a true form of a species because of competant breeding practices (often from wild, specifically located forms), allows you to keep them seperate from other aggie female and not accidentally cross, which will maintain that "true" species. Buy fish from a reliable source that knows the form or just keep an agassizii and call it agassizii sp. IMO
Neil