Agassiz's dwarf cichlid

Apistogramma agassizii

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–84°F (22–29°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 3.5 in (9 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Brazil
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

A male with one or two females in a tank around 75 liters works well, with plenty of broken sightlines from plants and wood. They spend most of their time low in the tank, picking through the substrate. They are mostly peaceful but get protective around a spawn, so give the females their own caves. Feed small live and frozen foods like brine shrimp and daphnia, with micro pellets as backup.

In the wild

Agassiz's dwarf cichlid comes from the Amazon basin in Brazil, living in slow streams, river edges, and floodplain pools. The bottom is covered in leaf litter and the water is warm, soft, and acidic. Give them a planted tank with sand, leaf litter, and caves or coconut shells to use as territories. Soft, acidic water from the low 20s up toward the high 20s C keeps them in good shape.

Good to know

This is an Apistogramma in the family Cichlidae, reaching around 9 cm including the long tail, with males larger and more colorful than females. It is a cave-spawning species and often polygamous, with one male tending the territories of several females. The female guards the eggs and fry. They are not considered threatened, but breeding them at home is difficult.

Did you know

Agassiz's dwarf cichlid comes in several color forms tied to where it was collected, with red, blue, and yellow tail variants showing up in the trade. Two fish that look quite different can still be the same species, just from different river systems.