Wild apisto ID

[gratts]

Hi. First post here - wanted some help!
I picked up a wild caught apisto from the shop I work at a few days back, but I'd like a 100% ID.
It was listed on the import list as 'iniridae', but I'm fairly sure it's not.
A friend told me they are cacatuoides, so I picked up the nicest male(I'm guessing he's a male!)in an attempt to get him breeding with my triple red female.
Any help appreciated, cheers

Links to pictures:
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/527/apisto1.jpg
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6351/apisto2.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/9126/apisto3.jpg
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/3394/apisto4.jpg
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1585/apisto5.jpg

 

[tjudy]

Welcome to the forum.

THose look like wild type Apistogramma cacatuoides to me. The black blotches, by the way, area parasite. I have seen that on wild cacs many times. THey will not hurt the fish. THe parasite needs a bird host to reproduce, so you will nto see the blotches on any offpsring the apistos produce.

 

[james595]

He has a lot of nice yellows and blues

 

[Rolo]

THose look like wild type Apistogramma cacatuoides to me.

I agree... they are definitely A. cacatuoides.

The black blotches, by the way, area parasite. I have seen that on wild cacs many times. THey will not hurt the fish. THe parasite needs a bird host to reproduce, so you will nto see the blotches on any offpsring the apistos produce.

A parasite? Are you sure? As far as I know, it's still unknown and some people (including me) believe, that it could be a virus.
And usually you're right, that you don't see the blotches on the offspring, but that's also possible. I had this at my A. barlowi: the offspring also show these blotches. So the "bird theory" cannot be the only possibility to reproduce.
In my opinion, the "virus" theory fits better...

best regards,
Rolo

 

[gratts]

Cheers guys.
I was aware that the black marking is not a genetic characteristic, which is a shame really as I quite like it.
The pictures are all of the same fish - I imagine by the fin extensions that "he" is a male?
Should I have any problems breeding him with a domesticated triple red?
If they were to breed, does anyone know what characteristics the offspring would inherit? My worry would be that it'd create a messy combination of blues, yellows and reds!
It crossed my mind that the female could be so far removed from her wild origins that they don't interact in the same. Either way I may pick up a female, as they worked out very cheap and really are beautiful fish. Much more subtle colours than the triple reds, but boy is he nice

 

[ed seeley]

Cheers guys.
I was aware that the black marking is not a genetic characteristic, which is a shame really as I quite like it.
The pictures are all of the same fish - I imagine by the fin extensions that "he" is a male?
Should I have any problems breeding him with a domesticated triple red?
If they were to breed, does anyone know what characteristics the offspring would inherit? My worry would be that it'd create a messy combination of blues, yellows and reds!
It crossed my mind that the female could be so far removed from her wild origins that they don't interact in the same. Either way I may pick up a female, as they worked out very cheap and really are beautiful fish. Much more subtle colours than the triple reds, but boy is he nice

Didn't you believe me then mate!!! lol! Think you might find the fish resemble the wild form at first and that you'd have to select for the red colouration again in subsequent generations. They might show some red though. Personally having seen them in the flesh I'd get a wild female and breed them wild to wild.

 

[electric eel]

i hope you guys in the uk and europe realize how lucky you are to be able to walk into a shop and purchase wild apisto's.i have never(i take that back.i think i found a tank full of wild trifaciata one time-all males) seen any around here.you very occassionally see the odd tank bred apisto(invariably triple red cacautoides) and often then only males.

 

[Mike Wise]

My 2¢; yes it is an A. cacatuoides with a rather unusual caudal pattern for the species. If I had this fish - and didn't have a female from the same shipment - I would try to find a German aquarist with a domestic blue color form to breed with him.

 

[tjudy]

Rolo... I had learned about the parasite theory a long time ago, so no I am not sure of it. A virus also makes sense, but they are in effect parasites as well. I have also seen skin flukes make relatively patterns like that, but the flukes are curable.