Apisto’s meeting the neighbors

[Magnum Man]

thanks... can no longer edit the 1st post...

The 2 larger ones, have joined forces… and the yellower one moved in with the grey, bigger one… not seeing any nesting activity, or chasing of the other fish yet, but all the Cory’s, are hanging out in the center of the tank, rather than under the driftwood, where the 2 Apisto’s are now, they don’t seem to be trying to move anyone else around, with exception to the smaller Apisto… smaller one has actually moved to where the yellower one was before, rather than at the top of the tank, in the root balls… Sid ( giant Oto ) has been hanging on that driftwood lately, and one of the bigger electric blue Acaras normally hangs out a couple inches above… tank is still peaceful for now anyway….

 

[Magnum Man]

Starting to look like a pair, although so different in coloration, they look like different species… this picture taken at feeding time, and they have chosen a spot af far down stream, as they can get, so the available food ends up here, as noted by all the food in the black sand, in this picture…. The 3rd one ( smallest ) is still doing good, on the other side of the tank… of course Sid ( my giant Oto ) photobombs… grey one had the notch in the dorsal, when it came… must have been doing some sparring in the sellers tank

 

[Magnum Man]

Well if the “nijsseni 'Rio Ucayali',”
are going to pair up, they chose a great spot, this tank is only viewed from the front, and one side, and they seem to like the side of the tank they can easily be viewed… and the result is I get to see the rest of the fish that used to go under the driftwood ( Cory’s ) now they are almost exclusively in the center of the tank.. the 3rd wheel is doing fine, but on the other side, which is harder to view…

 

[Magnum Man]

Apisto’s X3 seems to be still working out… 3rd wheel doesn’t seem to be wasting away, but hangs on the opposite side of the tank…

 

[Magnum Man]

While the other two are still on the opposite side… the greyer one seems like it could be two timing, as it spends quite a bit of time in the hollow log right in the middle… I’m noticing a little blue on the front of the dorsal fin…

 

[Magnum Man]

Yep… pretty sure I’ve got a 3 some going on… the male freely goes back and forth from the females on each side… and the females are more tolerant of each other… free love is great, until someone gets knocked up, and you’re forced to set up a home…

Freeze dried tubeflex worms seem to tame the angel’s dominance at feeding time… funny that brine shrimp floating all around, similar to the tubeflex, don’t have the same effect

Mutt ( the angel fish ) is still growing like crazy… now goes 7+ inches high, and 5 inches long, not counting his tail filaments, with pectoral fins that go 5 inches… it dominates everyone in the tank, including the bulkier Acarra, but only at feeding time, except when I pre feed tubiflex worms???

 

[Magnum Man]

Both females hanging out, on the submissive’s side, back corner, so not the best picture

 

[Magnum Man]

And right now the male is hanging on the dominant female’s side

 

[Magnum Man]

The electric blue acarras are getting personable… this one was begged Mrs to feed them… little do they know, Mrs watches, while I feed

 

[Magnum Man]

So, my strange 3 some continues… I’m not yet seeing mature / breeding colors, but a pair hang together “most” of the time, but a good percentage of the time, all 3 of them are in a tight pack… assuming, that if they were to start spawning, that they would drive off the 3rd wheel, but the tank is purposely crowded, to discourage spawning right now… I’m hoping, that if life finds a way, that the 3rd will continue to be tolerated… for now, it seems I have found an impossible mix of Cichlids, as there are 9 different Cichlids in this tank, of 4 different varieties…
sorry the glass needs cleaning...