hello all
I found some fish, thanks to all who replied to my query! If it's not inappropriate I'd like to say that Ocean Aquarium in San Francisco is a great little shop. Justin Hau, the proprietor, is a terrific guy, very patient, honest, and helpful, and seems to really love what he does. I recommend a visit whenever you're in the Bay Area. He's got a wide selection of Apistos, and of course I wound up bringing home something not entirely expected.
I bought a trio (m,f,f) of A. sp. "Rio Malome" which I looked up on the Krib and sure enough, it's the one whose name has probably had a syllable swap - it seems I actually have a blue form of A. sp. "Rio Mamore". If there are any theories more current than those on the Krib regarding this name, let me know. And if anyone has some experience with these particular fish that would be cool too.
Anyway Mr. Hau says his breeder (someone in Oregon - I didn't pry into their name) got the originals of this fish from Uwe Romer. They are beautiful, with a shiny blue sheen on the male and long ventral fins. They are still 'meeting the neighbors' right now - it seems the tetras were suprised their party was crashed.
So it begins.
-Andrew