Female Borelli Dwarf Cichlid or is it a Male!!

[agoh]

I was wondering if any fish experts out there know whether female borelli cichlids can come in colorful forms, I supposedly have one which I purchased from the petstore and the owners said it was a female, but it has colourful worm like patterns on its head like the male and really does look like the male except it appears smaller. When I put the male and "female" togethor in the tank, the male's fins flexed out and he whip tailed the 'female', after several exhanges the 'female' retreated as the male chased and chased the "female" around the tank, at this point I seperated the 'female' into a smaller tank. Does this behaviour confirm that she is a female, or is it territorial male Vs male behaviour????...... I would be immensly if somebody can answer this boggling question...

[malawi_man]

what is the latin name??

[Rob]

Just be aware that most dwarf cichlids sold as borelli (Apistogramma borelli) aren't. Most of them are what is thought to be a man-made 'species' called A. sp. 'Steel blue', also called A. sp 'Blaukopf/Blue Head'.

This is from the apisto mailing list

This fish

appears to be a man made form. They originally

appeared in Singapore. Matsuzaka (1997) claims

that it is a cross between a caetei-like fish & a

resticulosa-like fish. Females are almost

nonexistent, so if you have a female you are very

lucky.

Most shops probably only have males - the think the females tend to have the same overall colouring but slightly more golden.

Here is A. sp. 'steel blue':

Here is a male A. borelli:

Here is a female A. borelli:

Photos curtesy of Aquatico St Louis

[agoh]

Thtas fantastic Rob, I definitly have the steel blue then, and I'm supposing I have the steel blue female, I will throw the two togethor at some stage and see what happens! That piece of knowledge was something I've been searching throughout the world wide web, and all I had to do is ask the experts here in a New Zealand chat forum...cheers

[Rob]

I know that the steel blues have been bred before in NZ - it's not that females don't get imported, just seems that they're not very common and there isn't the in your face sexual differences that some other apistos show. As far as spawning them goes I'd do the usual thing as for other apistos - make sure that the female has been well fed before hand, make sure the water is generally the 'right' conditions and provide them with a suitable 'cave' or two to spawn in.

[catfish_dude]

so thats why my LFS never have any female steel blues i've got 2 males and i was thinking about breeding them coz their so pretty, and that would make them good sellers..but thats gonna be hard if i don't find a female :lol:

[agoh]

heres some a picture of a male

and female steel blue