Ap. steindachneri (was: )

[Fredrik.Ljungberg@saab.se]

Ken Laidlaw wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I have just obtained a pair of steindachneri from my
> friend.  They spawned once for him but unfortunately ate
> the eggs.  The male is about 2.5 " and the female 1.5.  I
> have seen in the books that the maximum total length for
> these fish is 4", can anyone confirm this as I've never
> seen an apisto this large.  I'd say 3" is a good size for
> any that I've kept seen in the past.
>
> They seem to be quite secretive and spend more time hiding
> than other apistos e.g. nijsseni or cacatuiodes, is this
> normal for them?
>
> Any tips on successful breeding (pH , temp etc)would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Ken.

Hi Ken

Males do reach 10 cm, I've had one myself. A local store
has some males and they're getting close to the 10 as well.
They're beautiful so it's a species well worth keeping.

I bred Ap. steindachneri in my ordinary tap water which is
neutral and soft, 24-25 deg Celsius. I kept them in a 80 liter
tank (which is too small, really) and it worked fine. They are
_very_ productive (200 egss or more!).

I don't remember them as being very shy or secretive, maybe they
just need more time to settle down (my Ap. gephyra took almost 3
weeks to settle down again after their move 7 weeks ago.

Fredrik L.



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