We have always had a fondness for South American cichlid species. Not the big bruisers that require a tank of their own and could be made into a tasty fish fry, but smaller somewhat meeker species. Over the last few years we have purchased several varieties of South American’s including Herichthys ellioti, Geophagus steindachneri “Red Hump”, and several varieties of the dwarf cichlids. All have pleasing temperaments and for the most part can be kept together in community tanks without too much difficulty (unlike our experience with African Cichlids). We came across an attractive but unusual fish at one of the club’s auctions that immediately intrigued us. The fish’s Latin name was unfamiliar but it definitely had a South American look to it. Consequently, we bought it at some ridiculous price. As the fish was given that terrible label of “cichlid” nobody wanted it. You can get some great deals on wonderful fish when phobias exist around certain types of fishes!

When we got our new found prize home we set him up in a 80-liter well-planted tank that contained some baby swordtails, a few juvenile bronze Corydoras, and a juvenile male Geophagus steindachneri “Red Hump” that had escaped the auction sale bag. For several weeks we wondered if our new acquisition would survive, as he remained listless and pale, and would not eat even when offered really tempting goodies such as frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms. Expecting the worst, we soon stopped worrying about him. Sometimes the shock of transport will seriously affect a fish to the point that they do not recover. Only time tells.

Luckily for us he recovered and soon began showing his true splendor. Some research identified him as Acarichthys heckelii, Heckel’s thread-finned acara. This fish is gorgeous and photos of it do not do it justice. The body is high-backed tapering to the tail. The dorsal fin is fullest at its caudal end and has several elongated rays that extend beyond the caudal fin. These are called the threads and are a predominant red color. The upper and lower caudal fin rays are also elongated but not to as great an extent as the dorsal threads. The anal and ventral fins are also elongated. The body and caudal fin have several lateral rows of small iridescent blue spots. This spangling extends into the dorsal, ventral and anal fins as well. The anterior portions of the ventral fins are outlined in brilliant blue. The body color is beige to brown with a large black lateral spot and a prominent black eye band extending below the eye to the chin. Above the upper lip is a thin black line that resembles a moustache. In the correct lighting the body and fins will be suffused with lavender, blue and golden yellow. This is a truly breath taking specimen.

A. heckelii inhabits slow-moving to stagnant waters found in smaller tributaries, streams, pools, oxbow lakes and marshes. Its territory includes The Guianas, Surinam, Peru, and the Brazilian Amazon and its tributaries. The species is basically isomorphic, but Baensch states that at spawning time the females will look slightly fuller; otherwise sexing is very difficult to impossible. The spawning behavior of this cichlid is unusual and quite interesting. Females excavate a series of tunnels in soft mud which eventually lead to a larger “nuptial chamber”. This hollowed-out chamber is where the actual spawning will occur. When the chamber has been constructed to the female’s satisfaction, she will start to actively court males who swim into her territory. The courtship ritual at times can be quite intense. When the female has made her choice amongst the males, the successful pair will retreat to the nuptial chamber and lay up to 1000 eggs that they attach to the walls and ceiling of the chamber. The white eggs are clustered in groups of five to six with spaces left between clusters. The female remains inside the chamber to fan the eggs while the male guards the territory around the chamber. The eggs will hatch in approximately three days and become free-swimming after another three. By this time the fry are approximately four millimeters long and start to utilize the tunnel system as the focal point when foraging for food. If threatened, the parents and the fry can retreat into the safety of the tunnels.

To duplicate this situation in the home aquarium overturned clay pots or PVC tubing can be used. Sand or very fine-gravel bottoms work best. Well-planted tanks, especially around pots and tubes, can provide a suitable environment that will induce a pair to spawn.

This is an easy cichlid to care for. References state that A. heckelii is a territorial and somewhat predatory fish though our experience has been to the contrary. The baby swordtails were never harassed nor did their numbers decrease. A temporary relocation into another tank resulted in fin damage to the heckelii which necessitated another relocation to a community tank with schools of small fishes: Rasbora heteromorpha, praecox rainbows, and rummy-nosed tetras. There have not been any problems with this combination.

A wide variety of water conditions are tolerated. Ours is kept in kept in aged tap water with pH >7.5, hardness >300 PPM, and water temperature at 24C to 26C. These fish are omnivorous and will eat anything. Ours get a basic flake diet with occasional treats of Spirulina flake, frozen brine shrimp and freeze-dried Tubifex. We’ve rarely seen a fish accept flake food with so much enthusiasm. A nice change from some of the more finicky South Americans we have kept.

As the May jar show will feature South American cichlids, we thought this would be a timely article though Heckel (as ours is called) will not be present as he is still recovering from fin damage. South American cichlids are generally much more peaceful and easier to keep than their African cousins. So the next time you see a South American cichlid offered for sale at an auction, do not hesitate to bid as you may just purchase a jewel like Heckel’s thread-finned acara!

REFERENCES

Baensch, H.A. & Riehl, R. (1993). Aquarium Atlas 2. Tetra Press.

Leibel, W. (1993). A Fishkeepers Guide to South American Cichlids. Tetra Press

Linke, H. & Staeck, W. (1994). Dwarf Cichlids, Tetra Press.

Take one adult male and one adult female angelfish, place in a medium sized tank filled with aged tap water, add a pinch of salt, a handful of plants, one strip of slate and a variety of frozen and flake foods, bubble gently at 24C for two to three weeks; and Voilá -Angels for everyone!

If your first experiences in spawning angels (Pterophyllum scalare) were anything like mine, the above information was about all you could squeeze out of any breeder or fish book As a result, you spent months and countless spawns trying to master the art of fry survival, only to see your little wigglers dying before reaching that all elusive stage – ‘free swimming’!

For three years now, I’ve been using a successful technique for spawning and raising angels, which was developed by experimentation and exchanging ideas with other breeders, that I would like to share in order to make your experience with spawning angels more enjoyable. It’s strange, in that once you have succeeded in raising angels, the silence is lifted and others are willing to discuss techniques. You are accepted as one of the elite – the successful angel spawner!

The most important factor in raising angels is environmental conditions. Although angelfish will spawn in a wide variety of conditions, it is important to stabilize them. Unlike what many sources suggest, angels do not need soft acidic water in order to spawn. Therefore, peat water and R.O. units are not essential. I use aged tap water with no additives or alterations (my city water is alkaline and hard). I tried softening the water and lowering the pH, but found that the water chemistry was not remaining constant, thus stressing the fish. Whatever your water conditions are, less extremes, usually the angels will adjust. Temperatures between 21C and 26C are fine, just keep it constant.

There are two ways of obtaining brood stock: buy a breeding pair, or buy juveniles and raising them to maturity. If you choose the former method, buy your pair from a reputable breeder. Contact the breeder and make arrangements to see the pair in their spawning environment. While there, look for desirable qualities: even finnage; uniform body shape; strong appetites; pronounced, even body pattern and coloration (if buying exotics or specific color strains); and good heath and vigor. Ask to see some offspring and make the same observations. If you are satisfied, purchase the pair. Although the pair may be expensive and there are no guarantees that they will spawn for you (if environmental conditions are not met), you are getting a fertile, proven pair that should spawn quickly, replacing your investment cost sooner. The latter method involves buying six to eight juveniles with the same desirable qualities as mentioned above, either from a breeder or a reputable fish store, and raising them to maturity, allowing them to form their own pair bonds. Initially, this method is cheaper and you may end up with more than one pair, but there are no guarantees that you will get a stable, fertile pair and you will have to wait six to nine months for sexual maturity to be reached.

Once you have a pair, prepare a 60 or 100 liter tank (smaller tanks are too crowding and larger tanks are a waste of a good fry rearing tank) for them using a combination of aged tap water and seasoned water. Tall tanks are suggested for veil tail varieties. Do not introduce the pair to the tank until the set-up is complete, as changing and adding items may create added stress, possibly resulting in a breakdown of the pair bond. Use sponge filtration (pre-seasoned) for ease of maintenance. Place a 2" x 10" strip of ¼" slate lengthwise at a steep angle in one corner and another piece of slate at the base to keep the slate from sliding down. Place a potted plant (not essential, but it does provide a hiding place) four or five inches in front of the slate. The tank should be located in a quiet area where there is minimal traffic or disturbances. Once the tank is set up, introduce the pair. Do not add any other fish.

Now that you have a pair settled into their spawning environment, it is time to condition the pair for spawning. A good variety of flake, frozen & live (where available) foods are recommended. Foods high in protein will increase the size, quantity and quality of eggs, but feeding straight protein is not healthy for the fish as they need fiber to prevent stomach rot and aid in proper digestion. A combination of flake in the morning, blood worms in the afternoon and flake in the evening works well. A couple of evenings a week, about 1 hour after feeding flake, breeders should receive a healthy portion of white worms or blood worms. Since the fiber in the flake slows the digestive rate, this extra protein in the white and blood worms is more completely digested and absorbed. Keep in mind that with breeders most excess protein is converted into reproduction; thus bigger and stronger fry! This only works to a certain point. Don’t overdo it.

Soon the pair should begin to show interest in the slate strip and the female’s spawning tube (ovipositor) will begin to descend. This is the signal for you to prepare for the most important part: artificial hatching and rearing of the fry. Although there are some pairs that will successfully rear their offspring unassisted, it is very common for domesticated angels (angels generations-removed from the wild) to devour their eggs and fry! You will need the following items: one large glass jar; submersible heater (75 Watt); plastic distilled water jug; 40-liter tank; airline tubing; air stone and weight (an air curtain weight works very well), and Methylene Blue and MarOxy. It’s most advantageous to have these items ahead of time!

First, set up the 40-liter tank in a easily accessible location as follows: fill with tap water approximately half way and add heater (now you can see where the submersible heater comes in handy). Set temperature to exactly match with the parent’s tank temperature. Next, connect airline tubing to the air stone and weight ensuring enough tube length to reach the air supply. Fill the plastic jug full of cold tap water and stand inside tank. Do not put the lid on the jug as the chlorine gases need to escape from the water inside (using cold water and heating it up eliminates the need to add chlorine remover; the chorine will dissipate in 24 hours). Finally, WAIT FOR EGGS!

When spawning occurs, fill the glass jar with the water from the plastic jug and place the jar inside the 40-liter tank. Do not use water from the jug that is more than a couple of days old, as it will be stale. Timing is important and after a couple of spawns you will be familiar with your pair’s spawning ritual and will have no problems coordinating hatching set-up with spawning. After being sure that spawning is complete (male is no longer fertilizing eggs), remove the eggs from the tank by simply lifting the slate out of the tank and placing it upside down (eggs to the bottom) into the glass jar. Do not worry about keeping the eggs submersed while transferring them from the tank to the jar, they will not dry out in five or ten seconds. Next, add the air stone into the glass jar at the base of the slate so that the air stream flows upward in front of the eggs (beside the eggs will work if the eggs are too close to the end of the slate). Turn the air on until a moderately consistent current is achieved. Add seven drops of Methylene Blue. Don’t forget to fill the plastic jug back up full of cold tap water and place it back into the 40-liter tank, as this will be needed for the next day’s water changes.

Water changes you say! On eggs? That’s right, water changes and lots of them. Although they are not up and swimming about, your precious little eggs are still growing and producing wastes and toxins into their unfiltered jar. Changing from 60% to 75% of water once a day will prevent toxin levels from building up. Do not try to use filtered water or incorporating a filter into the egg jar as the bacteria and fungus in the water will have a heyday (been there, done that!). Use a piece of airline tubing with a stiff piece of plastic tubing (for ease of control) attached together as a siphoning hose. While siphoning, try to remove as many of the dead (white) eggs as possible. Gently nudging the eggs usually loosens them from the slate and other eggs. It’s a good idea to siphon into an ice-cream pail in case you accidentally suck up some good eggs. After removing 60% to 75% of the water (be sure not to drain below egg level), gently pour water from the plastic container into the jar being careful not to disrupt or knock off the eggs (using a coffee filter holder from an automatic coffee machine as a filling funnel works well, just remember to put it back before your wife finds out!). Refill the plastic jug for tomorrow.

The evening of the day the eggs hatch (usually two days after laying) remove the slate before doing the water change. This is done by lifting the slate straight up off the bottom by a few inches and wiggling it vigorously (to knock off the wriggling fry). Once all the fry are off, remove the slate, wash and place it back into the parent’s tank for another spawn. This time, after completing the water change, add five drops of MarOxy. Repeat water changes adding MarOxy each time until the fry free swim (5-6 days after hatching).

The day before the fry become free swimming, begin hatching a batch of brine shrimp eggs. Although fry can be reared on crushed flake, the advantages of baby brine shrimp are well worth the efforts. The fry will eat quicker (stimulated by the movement and smell), thus becoming stronger and healthier fish. Since brine shrimp takes approximately 24 hours to hatch, starting the batch the day before free-swimming will ensure that the shrimp are at their smallest size and are most easily consumed by the fry. Feed the fry once in the jar before moving them into a rearing tank. Be sure to do a water change after feeding to minimize waste and ammonia build-up.

Transferring the fry is simple. Just lift the jar out of the 40-liter tank and float it into a 40 to 60-liter rearing tank. This tank should be equipped with a heater and an adequate sponge filter only, as cleanliness and ease of maintenance is of the essence. After floating the jar to adjust temperature, immerse the jar into the tank allowing water to exchange from the jar to the tank. Wait five minutes. Repeat the process three more times. On the last immersion, turn the jar upside down and pour the fry into the tank.

Continue feeding the fry live baby brine shrimp three times a day with 30% to 50% water changes daily. Remember, you literally have hundreds of fry in the tank although it doesn’t appear so for the first week or two. The water changes not only remove toxin build-ups, but they also dilute a growth inhibiting hormone that is produced by the fish. Frequent, high volume water changes fool the fish into believing they are in a much larger tank, as they cannot detect as much hormone, thus greatly increasing growth rates. Eventually there will come a time when splitting or relocating the fry will be required. This should be done when the fry have spread out throughout the tank, occupying all levels. If given enough food, space and water changes, the fry will be ready for sale in eight to twelve weeks.

Whether you are just getting into breeding angels or are a breeder looking for a new method, give this recipe a try. Although this method is not the only way to spawn angels, following it will make breeding angels as simple as placing one adult male and one adult female into a medium

It was approximately two years ago that we came into possession of a number of Apistogramma bitaeniata fry bought at an auction in Edmonton. We nurtured these fish along until we were able to discern gender. The males become quite large for a dwarf cichlid, approximately 75 mm from nose to caudal fin tip. The males have a dusty brownish/gray body with a black lateral line running down the body from the mouth to the base of the caudal fin. They also possess a black eye band that runs from under the eye to the jaw. The upper and lower rays of the caudal fin are elongated giving a lyreate tail shape. As well, the third through the seventh rays of the dorsal fin are elongated and tipped in yellow. Depending on the mood of the fish a second faint parallel lateral line can be seen as well as a faint lateral spot mid-body. All of the fins are greatly exaggerated giving this fish a beautiful profile when swimming. The fins have a conspicuous striped pattern of yellow, blue and some rusty brown. In the right mood, the body of the male can take on pale yellow and blue hues. The face almost always has a yellowish/gold cast to it.

The females look like all other females of the Apistogramma genus. Basically they have small (approximately 50 mm) slender bodies sporting a brownish/gray coloration with a black lateral line, a black band below the eye, and black markings through the first three rays of the dorsal fin and through the ventral fins. The fins of the females are short and not too spectacular. However, the females really shine when decked out in their spawning colors. Their whole body turns a beautiful bright gold with their black markings becoming quite distinct. At this time there are few other fish that can compare with their brilliance.

As is almost always the case, pictures shown in books bear only a fleeting resemblance to the male fish (females are rarely shown) that aquarists keep. This lack of consistency in coloration is particularly prevalent in the Apistogramma genus where a variety of color morphs exist within each species. As well, some of the color variation seen may be due to captive breeding, normal genetic variations within the genus and cross-breeding between species (captive fish have been known to cross breed). Hybridizing amongst species is a disturbing concept as it is already very difficult to identify individual species without having to figure for hybrids. We have first hand experience on how difficult it can be to differentiate between species. When transferring some Mikrogeophagus altispinosus fry from one tank to another an A. macmasteri was transferred inadvertently. Normally this would not be a problem except that we had some A. amoema in the new tank. Being in a hurry I thought I’d come back later and remove the interloper. Well, to this day the interloper remains in the tank with the A. amoema because all of these fish look the same. Consequently, any eggs laid can not be trusted to not be hybrids. As a rule we generally keep each species of Apistogramma in a separate tank due to the difficulty in identifying each type, the chance of hybridizing and also as insurance against the mysterious occurrence of some incredibly virulent bug that will wipe out whole tanks in days (but that’s another story). However, I digress. We were confident that what we purchased were A. bitaeniata due to the reliability of the seller as well as careful matching of the fishes characteristics with those listed in Dwarf Cichlids by Linke and Staeck (1994), our bible.

When the fry had grown sufficiently so that we could distinguish males from females, we divided them into pairs and moved them into separate tanks. We ended up with two pairs and some extra males. Each pair was put into a well planted tank, one 40-liter tank and one 100-liter community tank. The fish settled into their new homes quickly. The pair in the community tank settled in most quickly with the male soon becoming the king of the tank. This aquarium contained several species of Corydoras, glowlight tetras, rummy noses, croaking gouramis, and a bushy-nosed pleco. Watersprite covered the top of the tank while Vallisneria, two large Echinodorus bleheri, and a stump covered with Java fern decorated the bottom. The 40-liter tank containing the other pair was decorated with driftwood and Hygrophilia polysperma. All members of the Apistogramma genus like well-planted tanks with pieces of wood, rock or pottery that provide small niches and hiding spots. If this is provided they settle in quickly and become visible swimming through the planted lower half of the tank. If, however, these fish are unhappy you will rarely see them as they will remain hidden or they will pine away on you.

In the wild, A. bitaeniata inhabits the upper and central regions of the Amazon River in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. Living almost exclusively in black water biotopes where there are several layers of leaf litter, these fish enjoy extremely acidic (pH 5.8) and soft water (< 20 PPM) conditions. However, we found these fish to be very adaptable to local conditions as we could not duplicate this environment at home. Since the water in our area is hard we use a resin pillow to help soften our water. This pillow swaps sodium ions for calcium ions. The resultant salt in the water does not seem to harm any of our fish, even those that are salt sensitive. The hardness of our treated water is approximately 180 PPM with the pH remaining greater than 7.5. Both tanks were kept at 25C to 27C. When rain water or snow was available we used it to supplement the treated tap water to further soften the water and lower the pH. We had some concerns over whether or not the fish would spawn in these conditions as many fish will survive but fail to breed. We got lucky.

Both pairs started spawning in early winter. The females turned golden and became very protective of their chosen sites. One female preferred the ceiling of a tipped rock while the other chose a crevice in one of the pieces of driftwood. A day or two prior to spawning both the males and females became very aggressive towards their mates. No damage was ever done but there was lots of fin flaring, chasing and shaking. At first, this behavior caused us great concern but after observing that no damage was ever done we took this as part of the normal spawning ritual. When the female was finally ready to spawn she swam into her little niche, turning upside down to lay the eggs, three to five at a time, on the cleaned surface of the rock or log. The male then followed as best he could (the spawning cave or crevice were too small for the males to completely get into), turning on his side to release his milt. This continued until all the eggs had been laid, usually 50 to 60 eggs in two to three hours. We had decided early on that we would give each pair the opportunity to raise their eggs and fry independently. While not holding much hope for the fry in the community tank (we did not have enough tank space to give each pair their own tank) we hoped that the other pair would be successful. Not much happened with the first few spawns. One day the eggs would be there, then later there would be none. From previous experience with other Apistogramma we knew that the eggs take at least three to five days to hatch depending on the temperature, so we assumed they had been eaten. While the female guarded the eggs, she would aggressively chase the male off into some corner of the tank and would only eat if food drifted down near her cave. Being very young fish, we assumed that they would take a few spawns to get the hang of this parenting thing. Sure enough, while feeding the fish one morning I noticed a bunch of little black dots hovering in the corner of the 40-liter with a very golden defensive female g uarding them. We were thrilled as this was the first time we had ever been successful in getting a pair to raise fry. However, this new found excitement was short lived as over the next few days the fry disappeared. They were being fed newly hatched brine shrimp and I had witnessed them eating so I could only assume that the parents had been snacking. Chastising them thoroughly, they were told that their next batch of eggs were going to be ours. They seemed to take this threat to heart and never spawned again in the 40-liter tank. After several months, in frustration, I moved them into a larger community tank with other South American species. The male died not long after and attempts to introduce any of the spare males to the widow were unsuccessful.

As anyone who keeps Apistogramma species knows, these little fish are notorious for suddenly developing some obscure disease and dying the next day. They start by showing signs of respiratory distress and are usually dead in the morning. Attempts to discover the reason for this has lead me to believe that piscine tuberculosis may play an important part as dwarf cichlids are quite susceptible to this disease with many acting as carriers. This disease can remain latent for quite some time before some stressor triggers its acute stage. Anyway, over the course of the next year our bitaeniata died off. I was becoming desperate so in a last ditch effort I took the female from the 100-liter tank (the male had since died) and our last male, and paired them together in a 60-liter tank. By this time both of these fish were at least a year and a half old. In the wild, apistos are considered an annual fish as when the water levels drop during the dry season the adults become vulnerable to predators, starve from insufficient food or become stranded as their ponds dry up, so I was certain that time was running short. They seemed to like each other and soon started to show signs of getting ready to spawn. As mature fish both were quite a sight. The male was huge and showed beautiful muted colors as well as incredible finnage. The female was big and plump and lit up the tank when in her spawning regalia. However, good looks are fleeting whereas propagation of the species ensures representation over time: each spawn was unsuccessful and then they just stopped spawning. At their peak, these little fish will lay eggs every two to three weeks if they have no fry to care for. A change of temperature induces them to spawn so after each water change I would look for signs of spawning activity. They were being fed a diet of frozen brine shrimp and blood worms and the occasional treat of freeze-dried tubifex. They would occasionally eat flake food but only if they were really hungry.

Finally, having accepted that we were not going to be successful with this species, I moved them both back into the 60-liter tank where they settled in quickly and resumed dominating the other fish. When summer arrives we tend to be less observant of the tanks so it was with some surprise that I noted in late July, the female chasing the Corydoras away from the stump in one corner of the tank. Close observation of the sight revealed nothing unusual but the golden female was determinedly keeping everyone out of the corner. As I watched, tiny little black specks came out of the gravel and hovered just above the bottom. Some of them were pecking at the algae on the log and at the back of the tank. I knew that other species of fish would steer their fry to algae covered surfaces, so this must have been what the female had been doing as the fry were free swimming and had probably been for at least a week (once hatched the fry wiggle for at least a week before becoming free swimming). Weighing options, I decided that the best results would be achieved through dividing the tank with a partition so that the female and fry could remain with the stump while the other inhabitants, including the male, could remain in the other part. This wasn’t difficult to do as the female was very effective in keeping all away from her babies. This situation worked very well, allowing me to feed baby brine shrimp to the fry as well as foods for the adult fish. The excess shrimp would swim through the tiny holes in the partition and the Aquaclear 150 filter maintained adequate filtration for the whole tank without creating a current that the small fry would be unable to handle. Toward the end of August we were preparing for a holiday so I knew that alternate arrangements needed to be made to make fish feeding easier for the boy who would care for the fish. I removed all the other fish except the male and removed the partition. I swapped the Aquaclear 150 for a Mini Aquaclear to reduce the current. By this time the fry were 4 mm to 5 mm. and needed the extra space. The male showed no interest in his swarm of offspring and continued about his business. The intricacies of the brine shrimp hatcher have eluded our holiday fish feeder so I froze several batches of newly hatched shrimp in ice cube trays. A melting ice cube of brine shrimp placed in the tank was eagerly accepted by all the fry and by both parents. A week before we left, the male was found floating on the surface. I was sorry to see him go as we had developed quite a rapport. He was the only Apistogramma I’ve ever had who would take food from my fingers. As always when away from home I worry about who decided to "meet their maker". I was especially concerned about the fry as they were still not very old. However, I was pleasantly surprised when we returned ten days later to find that the fry had not only survived but had grown markedly.

As I bring this story to its close the fry, approximately 50, are all happy and growing like weeds. The female finally died a few weeks ago. The tank looks strangely empty without her golden form zinging around for the choicest morsels of food. She remained golden to the end probably because she remained with her fry. In retrospect I think we would have had far more luck in spawning this species if we had started with a larger tank. I have read articles stating that less then a 160-liter tank ensures failure. In my, experience I would say less than a 100-liter tank for this species is certain to bring failure. However, everyone’s experiences will be different so I offer this only as a guideline. While not the most colorful of fish they have many other attributes that make this fish a worthwhile keeper. If you are searching for fish with overall charm and personality I would recommend A. bitaeniata. Not as shy as some of the other apistos, they are quite entertaining to watch when something is needed to help you relieve the stresses of the day. I’m glad that both the fish and fishkeepers hung in there until death did we part! ?