In recent years, South American cichlids have become increasingly popular, especially due to new, discovered species. One of them is Apistogramma barlowi, which is known primarily for its unique behavior in caring for its fry.
In recent years, new species of South American cichlids have continued to emerge. In the autumn of 2009, Roland Numrich from Mimbon Aquarium Köln brought fish very similar to the recently described mouthbrooding cichlid Apistogramma barlowi Römer & Hahn, 2008. It has been known to European aquarists practically since 2010, when it spread across the old continent.
Homeland
Rio Jutá is a southern tributary of the Amazon in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. However, traders speak of importing the fish from the border area between Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, from the area of the well-known town of Leticia. Therefore, one of the names for the fish was also Apistogramma sp. "Leticia". Traders also refer to it as Apistogramma sp. Kelleri or Apistogramma sp. "Diamond face". In the habitat, the water is soft with a conductivity of up to 30 µS/cm, around 28-29 °C warm with pH in the acidic range even below 5.
Breeding
This undemanding cichlid grows to 7-8 cm in males and up to 5 cm in females. We keep it in a species or community aquarium. Here, various species of small fish are recommended as companions. Since the fish should be kept in a group, we also equip the aquarium accordingly. Like other South American cichlids, it requires plenty of hiding places, solid filtration, and only a slow water current.
If we want to use plants, then only those that can withstand low light or have low requirements for it. The best-suited species are from the genus Anubias, Cryptocoryne, Microsorum, or possibly Taxiphyllum. The most well-known is its blue variant, which is most often offered by traders. It prefers live food such as plankton, daphnia, and mosquito larvae. In case of emergency, it will also accept frozen or granulated food. I definitely prefer 6 types of granules of size "M" from Dr. Gerald Bassleer. Males can be aggressive towards each other, especially during the period of sexual maturity.
Raising
The breeding process is similar to that of other cichlids in the Apistogramma barlowi complex, including "Jutá". I use a standard 20-liter breeding tank with ceramic hiding places and artificial plants. The water is soft with a conductivity of 100 µS/cm, a temperature of about 25 °C, and a pH of 6.2. The male guards the entrance to the cave and the surrounding area. The female takes care of the brood inside, and after hatching, she carries the larvae in her mouth, where she keeps them until they are free-swimming. This is a so-called larvophilic mouthbrooder, similar to other representatives of the Apistogramma barlowi complex. After they are free-swimming, the fry accept both filtered fine cyclops powder and finer brine shrimp nauplii. Further breeding is easy.
Images
- The dominant coloration is found in the male in the area of the "face", hence the name "Diamond face".
- The female resembles many other females of the genus Apistogramma.
- The female takes care of the fry diligently. The fry, guarded by the female, are often difficult to spot, but they do not return to the female's mouth after leaving it.
- A typical breeding tank for South American cichlids with a volume of about 20 liters.
- The young grow relatively quickly, with the number raised by the female being about 20-30 fish from one spawn.
- Apistogramma barlowi A 174 comes from the Peruvian department of Loreto from the basin of the Ampiyacu River. Here it lives in small streams, such as El Pozo, which the indigenous people call "igarapé". This is also known in the case of the red neon tetra. The picture shows the red form. In the habitat, it is often caught together with Apistogramma agassizii. Males reach up to 6 cm, females up to 4-4.5 cm. It is currently one of the two known mouthbrooding cichlids. Traders and cichlid enthusiasts know it as A.sp. "Maulbrüter" or A.sp. "Glaser" used for the red variant, or A.sp. "Hauswel", which is used for the white variant. In Germany, it is also known as "Brustband-Apistogramma", but also as Apistogramma sp. "Red Face" or Apistogramma sp. "Lidstrich".
- Apistogramma barlowi white variant, sometimes also Apistogramma sp. Hauswel. It is very good to place small fish with these cichlids, in our case, the purple small fish Nannostomus mortenthaleri.
