Queries on Apistogramma agassizii

[lyh]

I have recently caught the apisto fever and now own 4 pieces of Apistogramma agassizii which I think are pairs. I have read that they can be differentiated from their fins and that ready females have a prominent spot on their body. I bought my pairs according to these guidelines however, there were some problems encountered.

1) Those supposedly females' spots turned into stripes after they have been introduced in my tank

2) The usage of fins to gauge was almost impossible as their fins were torn from bites

3) The so called females have quite stunning colours.

Based on these may I know how can I differentiate them in future when I purchase them? I'll try to take some pics the next time I go to my gf place. They are housed there in a planted tank. Thank you.

[doubleace]

Bro, what you mean is you want to know how to differentiate agassizi with other apisto?

[lyh]

Hi bro I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear. What I hope to know is how do I sex them when they are in a comm tank in the LFS

[doubleace]

Most lfs they already sex them.. unless you got them in a comm tank when they are juv.

The male's caudal fin is larger and more extended than the female's, which is rounded.

[valice]

Your A.agassizii from the NKS batch?

If it is the A.agassizii "Flamenco", the female shouldn't be colourful. If they are, it is highly likely to be a sneaker. I used to have a sneaker male which stayed as a sneaker for nearly a year before he final cannot take it and become a full fledge male. And was killed by the dominant male subsequently.

The ventral fins for the A.agassizii will be the most telling sign to sex the fishes. The females will have the dark dark first few rays compared with the males.

[lyh]

Most lfs they already sex them.. unless you got them in a comm tank when they are juv.

The male's caudal fin is larger and more extended than the female's, which is rounded.

Hi bro, these fishes are kept in comm tank hence they have some torn fins and whether it is extended or not cannot be determined.

Your A.agassizii from the NKS batch?

If it is the A.agassizii "Flamenco", the female shouldn't be colourful. If they are, it is highly likely to be a sneaker. I used to have a sneaker male which stayed as a sneaker for nearly a year before he final cannot take it and become a full fledge male. And was killed by the dominant male subsequently.

The ventral fins for the A.agassizii will be the most telling sign to sex the fishes. The females will have the dark dark first few rays compared with the males.

Hi bro yup I got mine from nks. When they were in the shop, my so called females look plain but when intro into the tank they became more colourful. Think I got to go back to get a few more to ensure I have a female.

[lyh]

After some time, my apistos have settled down and the colour can be seen forming. However, it seems now that I have more females than males and after much oberservation, I have a few questions pertaining to these fishes.

1. May I know if a sneaker male will have the black stripe on its ventral fin?
2. Do females turn aggressive to females/males or is it only males will turn aggressive towards others?
3. At what size will they start to mature and breed?

[jacian]

I got a pair of the agassizii from NKS and both turn out to be male. If you have extra female, we can do an exchange.

[lyh]

Bro no problem. If I didn't see wrongly I think I have 2males and 4 females. I think I really caught the apisto fever

[Goondoo]

I got a pair of the agassizii from NKS and both turn out to be male. If you have extra female, we can do an exchange.

Another potential match making on the way...