Re: checkerboards & misc

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

Matthew,

After reading other replies, I feel I should caution you on checkerboards. These fish are hardy in the aquarium  -  as long as your water isn't too hard (> 10º dGH) and acid (< pH 7). Otherwise they are more susceptible to diseases & parasites. If you can't provide moderately soft, acid, water then you'll have problems with them. As for breeding, the other replies are right on.

As for you unidentified apistos, if they came in with Nannacara anomala then they are probably A. steindachneri. This species once was erroneously IDd as "A. ortmanni", but the true ortmanni is very different. They are the bluish species that most often comes in with Nannacara.

Mike Wise

Matthew Diller wrote:

> Dear list,
>
> 2 questions:
>
> I picked up a few small checkerboard cichlids (filamentosus)  in  a local fish store.  They appear to be doing just fine.  Here is my question:  Linke & Staeck make them sound very delicate & challenging.  Are they really that difficult to keep ? Are they that hard to breed as well?  I do not use r/o water.  For the moment, they seem happy.  One has clearly begun to develop the lyre tail characteristic of males.
>
>   My LFS has lately been selling unmarked "dward cichlids" for $2 each.  Some are clearly nannacaras, but I have a bunch that I can't quite identify.  When I bought them they had five or six pronounced vertical bands.  These have now faded and they have a yellowish background (one is blueish) and black spots that appear like a broken up lateral band.  The  have black stripes above & below their eyes.   One has black ventral fins that make me think she is a female.  All are fairly small and nondescript.
>
>    The only guess the guy who sold them had was Ortmanni.  But really, he knows nothing about dwarf cichlids.  Any guesses?
>
>
>
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