Kullander's dwarf cichlid

Apistogramma kullanderi

Also known as Giant apisto, Titanic apisto

FreshwaterFish

Kullander's dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma kullanderi) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Minimum tank: 29 gal (110 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Upper Rio Curua on the Serra do Cachimbo plateau, Para, Brazil
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

Scale everything up: a pair wants 110 liters or more with rockwork territories and caves. It eats heartily, from granules to frozen and live foods, and a well-fed pair is less quarrelsome. Tankmates should be sturdy but peaceful. Spawning follows the cave pattern, though pairs are pickier about partners than smaller apistos, and imports are so scarce that captive-bred fish are the only realistic source.

In the wild

This species lives in the upper Rio Curua on Brazil's Serra do Cachimbo plateau, isolated above waterfalls in cool, clear, acidic water over rock and sand. That upland home means it prefers things cooler than most Amazon apistos: 22 to 27 degrees Celsius, pH 5.5 to 7.0, with strongish flow, smooth stones, sand, and scattered cover.

Good to know

Described in 2014 by Varella and Sabaj Perez and named to honor Sven Kullander, who described much of the genus, this is the largest known Apistogramma: males can pass 10 centimeters total length. It evolved its size in an isolated plateau drainage above waterfalls, where it fills a role bigger cichlids play elsewhere. Females still run the classic apisto brood-care system.

Did you know

This is the giant of a genus built on being small: a full-grown male is nearly the size of three cockatoo apistos nose to tail.

Tank mates

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