Trying to ID cichlid- any ideas? (PICS)

[JustOneMore20]

I know what Bolivians look like... I have a male. That was my first thought when I saw the pictures (must have been the eye line)....but like I said in my post the colors aren't the same and the female looks different than a bolivian. It was just a guess. I also thought they were Apistos, but when I googled Apistogramma for pictures, nothing looked like yours so I didn't look any further. They look alot smaller than Bolivians to me....which is why I said it was a guess. There are more than one type of German Rams (Blue, Gold...) so I didn't know if there were different types of Bolivians.

Glad you found out what they were! Maybe you'll get some fry!

[MSU Fan]

THANK YOU!!! I had what I thought was a GBR (I had purchased 2 at the time), and one died shortly afterward from Ich and water quality issues. I had mine for about 2.5 months, and he (actually, it was the female version I now know) died recently, and had never shown the colors that a GBR (or a Bolivian) does. Now I know what he (she) was: Apistogramma steindachneri! Thank you for clearing up that mystery!!!

[JRagg]

Those are some really good looking apistos. I've never seen that species before. The coloration is amazing.

[severum mama]

MSU fan: Glad you could ID your fish, but sorry you lost them.

JRagg: I had never seen this species before either. I'm glad I found them though! My fish are still under 2 inches, and the male's coloration is already blowing me away. I'm sure both of them will look great at adult size.

Another question: does anyone know if the males must have multiple females to spawn? My male doesn't really show any interest in my female. Does he need a few to choose from? I know they are still quite young, will they be more interested in each other as they age?

[Sicklid]

Most of the Apisto species females get an obvious gravid spot. I dont think you have a male and female, I think you have two males and one has made himself the Dominant One... The other will not show his true colors for fear of getting his little arse kicked... It happend to me with a pair that I bought as a "Breeding Pair" of Apistos.

[RoLeX]

hybrid is my guess

RoLex, I was just thinking the same thing. I bet they are a Ram/Bolivian mix. Maybe a boliv or ram/convict mix.

[JRagg]

I disagree. I do think that you have a male and a female. The female will color up some when she's ready to mate. Check these pictures from the krib. The've got pictures of a female in brood coloration and in regular coloration.

Link to the krib

And I also believe that you have got the right species in Apistogramma steindachneri. I'm trying to get a hold of the Cichlid Atlas, but I haven't had any luck so far. No bookstores carry it, and my emails to Dave Shoals have gone unanswered so far.

[toddnbecka]

The book I consulted is Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes, 3rd edition. It was published in 1989, bought it used years ago for $60. It has over 4500 color photo's, handy for ID of most any aquarium fish from tetra to catfish, as well as cichlids.

[JRagg]

I know this is a bit off topic, but I looked into axelrod's atlas after seeing you post about it. It really didn't have very good reviews. The biggest complaints were that it was mainly pictures and species names without much other description. I'm mainly interested in cichlids, so I'll probably go with the cichlid atlas. It's hard to find, but it's supposed to be really good.