Apisto Borelli

[NOLANANO]

Went to an aquarium trade show in Slidell Louisiana called Aqua-Fest yesterday.  I didn’t think I was going to buy anything but then I saw a group of 6 Apisto Borelli (3M, 3F) and I couldn’t pass it up.

my LFS get apistos maybe once a year and when the do, they usually only get a pair.  I honestly have never seen 3 pairs ever. I’ve had a single Borelli before but he didn’t last long as he was a juvenile and got bullied by my rams. Not having any rams currently, and wanting to give the borelli a proper chance, I pulled the trigger.  I also got them for a fraction of the price that I would have if I ordered online or if my LFS got them in.  I’m ecstatic about them.

 

[clownbaby]

THIS is the kind of impulse buy that is not only acceptable, but brings me joy to see!!! Seeing someone stumble upon an awesome animal that they can appropriately care for is something that genuinely makes my day. So thank you for posting this!!

Prior to this post, I had not ever seen apistos before, but goodness!! They are so pretty!!! The colors are stunning and so incredibly dynamic. You're super lucky, congrats on the opportunity! Also, your tank looks amazing! I love how the moss is all over the hardscape. Super interesting wood piece, too! So many cool lines and textures - I am obsessed! I believe you have Windelov Java Fern in there too... which matches the amazing fish pretty well. Stunning tank, stunning fish 😆 I love this so much!

 

[NOLANANO]

Yes, I was very happy with the find.  There were a couple of other impulse buys that I held back on because I wasn't as familiar with the fish but since I had previously done teh research on these and knew that the Borellii temperament is fairly mild for a cichlid, I felt safe buying these.  Plus I have a few caves that were only being utilized by my cories so having these guys really utilize that space has been great.  I have never had more than a pair of Apistos so I am kind of surprised at how tolerant the males are of one another. I think I have found the females to be more aggressive toward one another than the males. Maybe the males will get more territorial once they get comfortable but right now the 2 largest males occupy the same space while the smaller one mostly hangs out on the opposite side. But even when they cross paths, there isn't much, if any, aggression between the males. 

I also find them to be fairly polite to the females. Its like they flash and say "Can I take you on a date?" and the females say "No." and the males say "Ok, Sorry for bothering you." and move on. When I had a trifasciata, he was relentless toward the females. He would definitely been reported to HR lol.

 

[NOLANANO]

On 3/25/2024 at 10:29 AM, NOLANANO said:

Maybe the males will get more territorial once they get comfortable but right now the 2 largest males occupy the same space

My prediction came to fruition. The 2 larger males battled for the preferred cave last night. I guess they both recovered from their travel to the trade show and then to my house and felt comfortable that there weren't any predators to worry about in the tank. I watched them circle and flash and occasionally get physical for about 45 minutes before going to bed. It didn't appear that either was getting injured or backing down. I am curious to see if either was able to evict the other when I get home from work.

One funny thing is that my smallest male tried to get in on the battle but was completely ignored by the larger males. He fairly quickly left the cave and hung out with the females waiting for a winner lol.