Inca dwarf cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

A single male with a female or two fits a 75 liter tank at 23 to 28 C and pH 5.0 to 7.0. Provide caves, wood, and dense planting for cover. Feed small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimp. It is mostly peaceful and only defensive when the female is guarding a cave.

In the wild

The Inca dwarf cichlid lives in small forest streams of the lower Rio Huallaga system in Peru. It occupies shallow water over fine white sand with heavy leaf litter and driftwood. Wild water is soft and acidic, but this species is unusually tolerant of harder tap water. A planted tank with caves and leaf litter suits it well.

Good to know

Apistogramma baenschi was described in 2004 and is widely known by the trade codes A188 and Inka 50. Males reach about 7 cm with extended dorsal rays and a red crescent on the tail, while females are smaller and yellow. It is one of the most adaptable and easily bred dwarf cichlids.

Did you know

It tolerates neutral, moderately hard water better than most dwarf cichlids, which makes it a good first apisto.

Related species

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  Macmaster's dwarf cichlid

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  Agassiz's dwarf cichlid

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• Elizabeth's dwarf cichlid

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