Cichlid Profiles - Apistogramma baenschi (Inca Apisto)
This beautiful Peruvian Dwarf Cichlid also known as Inka 50 from the middle Rio Huallaga area is a member of nijsseni group of Apistos, where it lives in soft, still or slow moving water with lots of roots. They are very sexually dimorphic and the females look a bit like atahualpas or huascars. The males have an iridescent blue posterior half, with a gold or green yellow anterior, 6 vertical bars from midbody to tail, the last being condensed to a dark black round caudal peduncle spot. the face is ornamented with a black spot behind the eye toward the forehead, a black eye circumscribed with gold edges, and a thick suborbital stripe down to the gill cover. Males have extremely long flowing dorsal fin lappets on a blue dorsal fin often with gold tips, an orange tail with fire red tail edge in breeding color, and gold tipped pelvic fins. Females have a gold ground color with more intense black marks, including a horizontal extension of the thick suborbital stripe toward the bottom opercular area, 4 large black spots at the base of the dorsal fin, and often the first few dorsal spines are truncated and black. They get 3.5 inches long.
This fish is monogamous in the wild but not in captivity, lives in soft water of Ph 7 and about 80 degrees but tolerates a reasonably large variation in water temperature and chemistry, is hardy and unlike most Apistos which are shy, is somewhat of an exhibitionist. They eat most anything and they are good community fish. They are cave spanners which lay pink or red eggs on the ceilings, which the male leaves to female's care after fertilization. The eggs hatch in 2-3 days and the female moves them to a pit. They need at twenty gallon tank minimum. See "Images of Apistogramma baenschi" for pictures, and also Youtube video Apistogramma Inka 50 Pair.
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Dr. Robert Price ![Swim](images/smilies/imported/swim.gif)
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