Apistogramma njsseni

[Corey Geving <craigh@mtn.org>]

Hello all.  I have recently acquired a pair of A njsseni and am working
on conditioning them for breeding.  There is scant information available
on this beautiful fish available, so I'd like to throw out a question or
two, aimed at people w/experience with njsseni.  The female is much
smaller than the male (just over 1 cm); she seems to have a faint
version of the orange marking on the margin of the caudal fin - is this
normal, or have I ended up with a juvenile male?  She shows a faint
black spot at the base of the caudal peduncle but this disappears in
certain moods.  At what size do female A njsseni reach sexual maturity?
I've noticed a lot of territorial behavior between them (with no damage)
but not what I'd call courtship.  Also, is it better to condition them
seperately and introduce the male to the female's tank later or will
they pair off naturally in the same aquarium?

Thanks in advance for any forthcoming information; the pair have been
doing very well in the small, heavily planted blackwater aquarium I've
placed them in but just do not seem to have the love bug yet.  

						Corey Geving