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Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid

Apistogramma pertensis

Also known as Sailfin apisto

FreshwaterFish

Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma pertensis)

Care at a glance

Temperature
77–84°F
25–29°C
pH
4.8–6.5
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
15 gal
55 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Cave spawner · Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Lower Rio Negro and Amazon mainstem margins from Manacapuru to Monte Alegre, Brazil

Overview

The Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid is one of the gentlest apistos, and it lives near the bottom of a peaceful community tank. It suits a keeper who has moved past the easiest fish.

Did you know

Most apisto males settle arguments by mouth-wrestling. Male Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlids mostly fence with their sail fins instead, then call it a day.

Caring for the Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid

Keep Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlids on fine sand with scattered leaf litter, in a tank of 15 gal (55 L) or more. Several males can even share a larger tank, displaying at each other across the sand.

Give them warm, truly soft water at 77 to 84°F (25 to 29°C) and a pH of 4.8 to 6.5. Feed small frozen and live foods, along with fine granules.

This peaceful apisto suits a soft-water community with tiny tetras or pencilfish. It spawns in caves in the standard way, but the eggs need truly soft, acidic water to develop. Breeding is hard.

Good to know

Haseman described the Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid back in 1911, which makes it one of the longest-known apistos. Males raise a tall, smoke-and-silver dorsal fin that gave the species its sailfin nickname. The pertensis group built around it holds the genus's slim, high-finned sand specialists.

In the wild

The Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid lives along the lower Rio Negro and the Amazon mainstem in Brazil, from Manacapuru to Monte Alegre. It keeps to sandy litter banks and mainstem lakes, in warm, soft, tannin-stained shallows. It is a slender sand dweller that drifts over open bottom between leaf piles.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does an Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid need?

An Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid needs at least 15 gal (55 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid need?

An Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid is comfortable at 77–84°F (25–29°C) with a pH of 4.8–6.5.

What does an Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid eat?

An Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid eats small frozen and live foods, along with fine granules.

How big does an Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid get?

An adult Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

How does an Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid breed?

An Amazon sail-fin dwarf cichlid spawns in caves in the standard apisto way. The eggs need truly soft, acidic water to develop, and breeding is hard.

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