Trifasciata

[BigDaddyAdo]

Im curious as to why Trifasciata arent a popular Apisto???

Any ideas?

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I don't know why, they are really beautiful fish and not too demanding. My only thought is that when they aren't happy, they don't have the blue sheen, and look a bit washed out.

Locally you rarely can find any Apistogramma, but when you do other than "Blue-steel" (always mis-id'ed) they are the red selections of agassizii, hongsloi, cacatuoides and occasionally macmasteri (although not necessarily under any of those names). I think it is possibly a red fish thing as often the only other small non-malawi cichlid for sale is Hemichromis "lifalili".

I'm not sure about elsewhere in the UK, but the only shop I've ever seen A. trifasciata in locally (Bristol/Bath/Swindon area) was in the Maidenhead Aquatics in Brislington (Bristol), and theirs were both relatively expensive (£18.50 a pair) and all males.

cheers Darrel

[gingerbeer]

Slow growth rate must have something to do with it - you gotta be dedicated to breed them, whereas anyone will breed cacatoides.

[mummymonkey]

I didn't find trifasciata to be particularly slow growing. The only problem I had was nobody would buy my young fish.

http://www.ibrox.freeserve.co.uk/images/trifasciata_male2.jpg

[chris1932]

I had problems getting females from spawns. If I manipulated to many things they stopped spawning, plus I had trouble finding all those males homes. Pretty fish though.

[Hassles]

I don;t know about slow growing - my fry from July are growing at a very raopid rate. I am however under the impression that this Apisto specie matures slowly (according to the cichlid atlas) so perhaps they won't breed as soon any many oher species.