Bridge dwarf cichlid

Apistogramma gephyra

Also known as Gephyra apisto

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–84°F (25–29°C)
pH: 4.8–6.3
Adult size: 1.8 in (4.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 15 gal (55 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lower Rio Negro blackwaters, Amazonas, Brazil
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

Treat it like a slightly fussier agassizii: a pair in 55 liters or more of soft, warm, tannin-stained water with caves and litter. Small live and frozen foods bring it into condition; dry food is hit or miss. Keep dithers minimal and gentle. Cave spawns follow the standard female-led pattern, but eggs want very soft acidic water to hatch reliably.

In the wild

Apistogramma gephyra lives in the lower Rio Negro's blackwater tributaries, in shallow litter banks where the water runs stained, hot, and nearly mineral-free. Keep it warm and soft: 25 to 29 degrees Celsius, pH 4.8 to 6.3, over sand and a deep leaf layer with dim light. In hard water it neither colors up nor thrives long term.

Good to know

Kullander described this species in 1980 and named it gephyra, bridge, because its characters bridge Apistogramma agassizii and the pertensis group. Males reach about 4.5 centimeters with a spade-shaped tail edged in red and blue. It is easily mistaken for a small agassizii, and careful counting of stripe rows is how the two are told apart.

Did you know

Its name is a taxonomy joke made formal: the describer called it the bridge because it stands halfway between two species groups.

Tank mates

Bridge dwarf cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.