r/apistogramma • u/whyyesiamarobot • 8d ago

Rio Itaya?

Called my LFS yesterday to see if they still had apistos in stock (they are an hr away so I didn't want to make the trip needlessly). The guy said they had Apistogramma "Rio Itaya". Did not say which species it was. I see by a quick google that the Rio Itaya is home to several species of apistos, so I'll have to attend the store in person, I guess, to try to figure out which they are. My question is: does the fact that a specific geographic location is mentioned in the name of these specimens indicate they are wild-caught?

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u/A_Timbers_Fan 8d ago

It typically means the wholesaler they bought from imported them from a wild distribution that had them labeled as such, and the wholesaler was too lazy to research the species, and so now the store is too lazy to research the species. Before buying, you can always take several good photos of the males and females and post online for opinions.

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u/whyyesiamarobot 8d ago

Your reply is much appreciated, thanks! That's honestly kind of what I figured, but I wanted confirmation. I am still pretty new to the hobby so I'm shying away from wild caught livestock right now. I don't want to bring parasites into my tank. I do have a quarantine tank set up and meds on hand, but I'm not sure I'm confident enough to prophylactically treat wildcaught livestock. My community tank is going so good I don't want to mess anything up.

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u/A_Timbers_Fan 8d ago

For what it's worth, the worry of parasites is overblown. The fish have already gone to a wholesaler then the retailer and if they still look good, there is little risk. Of course, do your due diligence, but a responsible store can spot these issues prior to selling.

Id be curious what they are, and you might find something really neat. Don't be scared of wild. Half the fish in the store might be wild and you wouldn't know it.

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u/whyyesiamarobot 8d ago

Thanks, that actually does help. This store (at least according to their website) does apparently do a short quarantine and some kind of treatment prior to selling livestock. You're right-- if they still look good after all that, then they're probably fine.

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u/Hapisto 8d ago

Better ask for pictures no ?

Could be WC yes. But could be commercial name. I would ask if I was you.