fwd: Re: Shorelines vs. open water

["Francis Brian O'Carroll"]

This was accidently delayed.
Frank O'Caroll
List admin
Usually Tokyo, currently San Jose!

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>From VKUTTY@prodigy.net  Thu Nov 13 17:41:27 1997
Message-Id: <199711132232.RAA37264@pimout1-int.prodigy.net>
From: "Vinod Kutty" <VKUTTY@prodigy.net>
To: <apisto@majordomo.pobox.com>
Subject: Re: Shorelines vs. open water
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 17:28:47 -0500
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Bob, your assumption is correct for the most part.  Apistos make a perfect
mouthful for a number of predatory and opportunistic predators in South
America...and the Apistos know it.  They live on the banks and shoreline,
usually under a lot of leaf litter.  How they survive under all that leaf
litter is beyond me, but if you scoop up a net full of leaf litter with
your pushnet, pick out all the leaves, you'll often be rewarded with a
small, usually unidentifiable apisto at the bottom.  

Recreating this habitat in aquaria is challenging and aestherically
dubious.  A fine substrate of sand, small gravel, dead and parboiled oak
leaves liberally scattered over the bottom, a few plants, driftwood and
floating plants will make your apisto feel quite a home.  They, however,
will lose their shyness only if you have a large group of harmless dither
fish.

If you keep your fish at or near eye level and have plenty of cover,
adequate lighting and dithers, they should lose their shyness, but very
large, crowded tanks almost always have happy, bold apistos.  

As far as open-water swimming apistos, I know of none - I'd very happily be
shocked if you show me one.  The only pelagic cichlids you run into are the
Peacock Basses of the genus Cichla.  

Vinny Kutty


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> From: IDMiamiBob@aol.com
> To: apisto@majordomo.pobox.com
> Subject: Shorelines vs. open water
> Date: Saturday, November 01, 1997 7:23 PM
> 
> This question is aimed at folks like Marco Lacerda, who have had the
> priveledge of collecting a number of Apistos in their native habitats.
> I have always assumed because of their size and demeanor that most
species of
> Apistos prefer and tend to inhabit lakeshores and riverbanks, rather than
the
> open water areas in the middle.  It is only in the last few days that I
have
> realized that it is indeed an assumption.  Can anyone confirm or deny
this
> idea?  It seems to me that this information could influence our "tank
decor"
> and help our charges to overcome their shyness.
> 
> Bob Dixon
> 
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