Re: Apisto Predators

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

I've been reading this thread & found it interesting. Römer describes colonies
of apistos living together with dwarf Crenicichla (notopthalmus) in the Rio
Negro. In these colonies male apistos tended to become more monogamous and drive
the dwarf pikes as far from their territories as possible. The dwarf pikes are
not a threat to apistos over 1" it seems. They prey on fry, small crustaceans &
insect larvae. The main predators for adult apistos are Hoplias malabaricus,
eels, turtles, and wading birds. These animals prefer hunting in shallow waters
where apistos commonly live (God made apistos primarily as chum!). These fish
get too large and would eradicate such a small (16 sq. ft. / 1.2 sq. m) area as
your tank in no time at all. There is a predator that might work, however. Try
the True Leaf Fish, Monocirrhus polyacanthus, from Peru or Schomburkg's Leaf
Fish, Polycentrus schomburgki, from Venezuela & Guyana. These are slow moving
ambush predators. Neither grow much more that 4"/10cm so I doubt that any fish
over 3"/7.5cm would be threatened. Most females and young would be in danger,
however. The question is: do apistos recognize leaf fish as predator, or are
they (leaf fish) too well camouflaged for apistos to recognize? Maybe you could
mix a few leaf fish with a some dwarf pikes and see what happens.

Mike Wise



"David A. Youngker" wrote:

> I'm wondering if there's a reference detailing predatory behavior in Apisto
> environments. I'd already considered a "true- to- biotope" tank when the Rio
> Negro thread appeared, but with a slight "twist".
>
> The greatest advantage to studying Apistogramma from a behavioral standpoint
> is obviously their size - it enables a much larger sample within the
> confines of available space. Since that's not problematic here, the next one
> to solve is the "artificiality" of the study environment. Does the observed
> response to a stimulus in the study represent natural or adaptive behavior?
> If the behavior is adaptive, can the correct connections be made between
> stimulus and response? That sort of thing.
>
> The greatest advantage to performing volunteer work at the Aquarium is the
> chance to compare notes on large tank maintenance.
>
> Put those together with some experience and the real need to change
> "biotopes" myself, and you get a place with a garage...
>
> In addition to setting up my cultures again, I'd like to dedicate one of the
> garage walls to a biotope tank. No, no - I only mentioned the Aquarium in
> passing, I don't intend to rebuild it. I _would_ like a glass- fronted
> plywood tank that's 2 feet square on the ends or so, but perhaps 8 - 10 feet
> long - reminiscent of the "counter" tanks you see in some of the "old-
> style" LFSs. Since it would be in a garage, where it could set out from the
> wall rather than against it, I might even go to 3 feet wide with the extra
> access.
>
> Set it up, stock it with a specific Apisto, and some naturally- occurring
> "dither / target" companions. Give everyone a fair amount of time to get
> "established". Introduce a single predator.
>
> Now, it's not too difficult to believe that even a large tank couldn't
> support enough of a population of prey to feed an Oscar (thank god they
> aren't part of the plan). But I'm wondering - how about one of the Dwarf
> Pikes? One that would be as pretty well satisfied with a couple of Tetras a
> week as it would a single Apisto.
>
> That is, once it gets past the "kid in the candy store" stage...
>
> -Y-
>
> David A. Youngker
> nestor10@mindspring.com
>
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