Mendez's dwarf cichlid

Apistogramma mendezi

Also known as Rio Negro flag apisto

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 79–86°F (26–30°C)
pH: 4.3–6.0
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 16 gal (60 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Middle Rio Negro blackwaters around Barcelos, Amazonas, Brazil
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

A specialist pair tank of 60 liters with blackwater conditions is the honest setup. Live and frozen foods keep it in condition; dry food is a sometimes thing. Keep dithers few and tiny. Breeding demands near-rainwater softness, warmth, and patience, with the female running the cave and the male holding the wider territory. Wild imports need careful acclimation to captive water.

In the wild

This is a middle Rio Negro blackwater fish from the flooded forest margins near Barcelos, where water runs hot, dark, and nearly free of minerals. It lives in leaf litter under root tangles. Recreate that with sand, deep litter, wood, dim light, and water at 26 to 30 degrees Celsius, pH 4.3 to 6.0, with hardness as close to zero as you can manage.

Good to know

Uwe Römer described Apistogramma mendezi in 1994 and named it for Chico Mendes, the Brazilian rubber tapper and rainforest defender murdered in 1988. Males reach about 5 centimeters and vary by river in the amount of blue on the flanks and the pattern of the tail. It is a true blackwater endemic that tracks the Rio Negro's enormous seasonal floods.

Did you know

The species carries an activist's name: it honors Chico Mendes, and its describer chose the name to tie the fish's fate to the forest Mendes died defending.

Tank mates

Mendez'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.