Breeding the Gold Agassizii:
Apistogramma cf. agassizii Broad Black Caudal Seam,
From the Rio Madeira
By Mike Wise
The
Known Distribution of Apistogramma Agassizii
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to Enlarge
Apistogramma agassizii was one of the first dwarf cichlids to
come into the hobby. It was imported intoGermany in 1909, and
into the US a few years later. It is still one of the more popular
dwarf cichlids. This, no doubt, is due of its multi-colored fins
and metallic body scales. What we commonly think of as A. agassizii
has an unusually wide distribution. It is found in the west in
streams entering the Amazon of central Peru and occurs eastward
to Atlantic coastal streams south of the mouth of Amazon.
Over this wide range, there are subtle differences in body shape,
finnage, caudal fin markings and color. It is becoming more apparent
that what we now consider A. agassizii is actually a ‘super-species’ composed
of many distinct populations that are very possibly separate
species in their own right. Koslowski (2002) described features
that were diagnostic for several different populations. Among
these are the populations “mit breitem schwarzen Caudalsaum” (with
broad black caudal seam).
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to Enlarge
Apistogramma cf. agassizii BBCS (broad black caudal
seam) populations are found only in right bank (southern)
tributaries of the lower Amazon, like the Rio Tocantin,
Xingu, Tapajós, and Madeira. Males of these
populations tend to be subtly more elongate (actually,
less deep bodied). The tips of the unpaired fins
are usually not as long and pointed as on other forms
and the caudal fin always has a black outer margin
that is much broader than the lighter colored submarginal
band. The Gold Agassizii is one of these forms. It
is found in the Rio Madeira.
The male Gold Agassizii has a pale yellow-gold metallic sheen
on the body. The dorsal, anal and ventral fins are mostly golden
yellow, too. The tail fin is rather pale with a broad dark outer
band that is usually smoky gray, a narrow, broken white submarginal
band, and an interior area that can be red-orange to yellow in
color. A smoky gray stripe extends from the body’s lateral
band into the tail, running all the way to the tip. Females are
indistinguishable from females of other populations. Although
paler and less distinctly marked than other forms from the Rio
Madeira, the Gold Agassizii is only a color morph of A. cf. agassizii
BBCS Madeira/Porto Velho. The Gold Agassizii was first pictured
as a distinct population by Koslowski (1985; p. 121 bottom) and
is pictured in Römer (1998, 2000; p. 261 top).
Apistogramma cf. agassizii Broad Black Caudal Seam – Gold
Agassizii Male
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to Enlarge
I first saw specimens of this fish at the 1997 ACA Convention in
Chicago. Marco Lacerda, owner of the fish exporting company Trop
Rio brought in several new species of Apistogramma. Two species
caught my eye. One was “A. agassizii from the Rio Madeira” and
the other was listed as “A. sp. aff. gephyra Red Tail Rio
Xingu”, now known as A. sp. Blue-spangle/Blauspeigel. I instantly
recognized that the Red Tail Rio Xingu was a new species actually
closely related to A. pulchra. Having a limited amount of tank
space (and money) I decided to buy the Red Fin Rio Xingu & sadly
left the unusual Aggies for other hobbyists. For the next six years,
I looked for the Madeira Agassizii, but never saw them listed anywhere.
Then at the 2004 ACA Convention in Denver, I saw “A. agassizii
Madeira” on a list of apistos for sale. Was this the same
fish that Lacerda had brought in so many years before? I checked
with they seller. Not only were they the same population, but they
were offspring from Lacerda’s original imports! Finally,
I had a second chance to own these fish. I picked out a nice pair
and happily put them in a 20 gallon long breeding aquarium and
waited for them to breed. Any experienced dwarf cichlid breeder
knows that A. agassizii is not easy to breed, but not especially
difficult either. Usually small weekly water changes with moderately
soft (<10º dH), slightly acid water (pH 6 – 6.5)
and a good varied diet is all that is needed for successful reproduction.
I waited three months. Nothing. I waited six months. The female
was now obviously mature at 2”/5 cm long. The male had reached
almost 4”/10 cm. Still nothing. What was I doing wrong? I’ve
had A. agassizii breed for me many times in just my tap water,
but these did not. I saw eggs only once, but they never developed!
Obviously, I had to do something with the water. Koslowski (2002)
listed water conditions that Dr. Wolfgang Staeck had measured near
Porto Velho, where he had collected A. agassizii. They were pH
5.8, 20 µS/cm@30ºC/86ºF. These values are unusually
soft and low for A. agassizii, but I was willing to try anything
to get my Gold Agassizii to reproduce. I slowly lowered the pH
and hardness in their aquarium by adding peat filtered tap water
to their water changes. This peat water had values of pH 4, and
0º dGH & dKH.
Apistogramma cf. agassizii Broad Black Caudal Seam – Gold
Agassizii Female
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to Enlarge
Within a week of letting the tank’s water drop to pH 5.5
and <1º dGH & dKH, the pair started actively courting.
I could not see where the female laid her eggs, but I knew that
she had spawned. She became bright yellow and would not let the
male, who was twice her length, near her side of the tank. Then
about a week after all of this activity, the female brought out
a brood of about 35 fry. They were tiny, less than 2 mm long. I
started them on newly hatched brine shrimp, but could see that
the brine shrimp were too large for many of the fry to eat. I was
not particularly worried since the breeding tank was long established,
with large clumps of Java Moss, and algae covered rocks everywhere.
The fry that could not eat baby brine shrimp could forage in the ‘weeds’.
It is now almost two weeks since the fry became freeswimming. They
have grown amazingly fast. All are eating baby brine shrimp and
many are twice as long as when I first saw them. My adults now
share brooding duties. The male seems to be the most dedicated.
This is fairly unusual for a male of a polygamous species, but
I imagine that it is due more to there being only one female than
it being the normal state of affairs.
Obviously, the Gold Agassizii is not your typical A. agassizii.
Not only does it look somewhat different, but its breeding requirements
are different, too. My next question is, will the fry all be
Gold Agassizii or will there be darker forms like the typical
Porto Velho form from the Madeira? Only time and maturity of
the males will tell.
References Cited:
Koslowski, Ingo. 1985. Die Buntbarsche der Neuen Welt – Zwergcichliden.
Reimar Hobbing GmbH, Essen, Germany. 192 p._____________. 2002.
Die Buntbarsche Amerikas, Band 2 – Apistogramma & Co.
Verlag Eugen Ulmer GmbH & Co., Stuttgart, Germany. 318 p.
Römer, Uwe. 1998. Cichliden Atlas, Band 1 – Naturgeschichte
der Zwergbuntbarsche Südamerikas. Mergus Verlag GmbH, Melle,
Germany. 1311 p.__________. 2000. Cichlid Atlas, Volume 1 – Natural
History of South American Dwarf Cichlids. Mergus Verlag GmbH,
Melle, Germany. 1311 p.
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