Panda dwarf cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

The panda dwarf cichlid is a small, mostly peaceful cichlid best kept as a harem of one male with two or three females, each of which needs her own cave and patch of territory. It is generally calm in a community, but a female guarding eggs or fry becomes very bold and will chase fish many times her size away from the nest. Keep it with small, gentle dither fish such as pencilfish or small tetras that swim in the upper water and help the cichlids feel secure. Provide plenty of low cover with caves, coconut shells, leaf litter and dense planting so each fish can hold a territory out of sight of the others. Feed small live and frozen foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia and bloodworm. A tank of at least 70 liters suits a harem.

In the wild

The panda dwarf cichlid lives in the Rio Ucayali drainage of Peru, in small, shaded forest streams and pools of warm, very soft, acidic blackwater. The water is heavily stained with tannins and holds almost no mineral content. To keep and especially to breed it, use soft water with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5 and a temperature of 24 to 28 C, adding leaf litter, botanicals and driftwood to tint and acidify the tank. Dim lighting, a sandy floor and plenty of caves and cover let this shy fish settle and show the bold black-and-orange pattern that gives it its name.

Good to know

Apistogramma nijsseni is a dwarf member of the cichlid family, Cichlidae, reaching about 8.5 cm for a large male, with females noticeably smaller. It is a cave spawner, with the female laying her eggs on the roof of a small cave and then guarding the fry alone while the male defends the wider territory. Females turn vivid yellow with bold black markings when guarding a brood. Breeding is challenging because the eggs need soft, acidic water to develop, and the sex ratio of the fry is strongly affected by water temperature and chemistry.

Did you know

In the panda dwarf cichlid the temperature during egg and fry development skews the sex ratio, with warmer water above about 26 C producing mostly males, so breeders watch the thermometer closely to raise a balanced brood.

Related species

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