TankBud

Panduro apisto

Apistogramma panduro

Also known as Apistogramma pandurini, Blue Panda Cichlid, Blue panda dwarf cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Panduro apisto (Apistogramma panduro)
Cisamarc · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
5.0–6.5
Adult size
3 in
7.5 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Cave spawner · Medium
Rarity
Common
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Río Ucayali and Río Tahuayo drainages, Loreto Region, northern Peru

Overview

The Panduro apisto is a dwarf cichlid for a dim, soft-water tank with sand and caves. Keeping it well takes a little experience.

Did you know

The Panduro apisto female runs the nursery, herding the fry around the tank while the male patrols the wider territory. That split is why a normally calm female will suddenly chase a much larger tankmate, or even the father, away from her brood.

Caring for the Panduro apisto

Keep one bonded pair of Panduro apistos in 20 gal (75 L) or more, on a footprint of at least 60 by 30 cm. A harem of one male with two or three females also works, but it needs a noticeably larger tank. Give them a soft sand bottom to sift, with plenty of driftwood and roots forming caves. Add some dried leaf litter for tannins.

Keep the light dim and the flow low. Run the water soft and warm, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and an acidic pH of 5.0 to 6.5. Captive-bred fish handle the upper end, near 6.5, better than wild stock.

Feed small frozen and live foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia and bloodworms. Panduro apistos are mostly peaceful bottom dwellers that pick along the sand. Pair them with small, soft-water dither fish in the midwater, and skip anything boisterous or fond of hard water.

Males reach about 3 in (7.5 cm), while females stay smaller at around 5.5 cm. The Panduro apisto is a substrate and cave spawner, and the female guards the eggs and fry. A spawning female turns hyper-aggressive, so in smaller tanks you may need to pull the male out. Breeding is of medium difficulty.

Good to know

The Panduro apisto is a dwarf cichlid in the family Cichlidae, sometimes sold as the Blue Panda apisto. Most fish in the trade are commercially bred.

In the wild

Panduro apistos come from the Río Ucayali and Río Tahuayo drainages in the Loreto Region of northern Peru. They live over soft sand in shaded, tannin-stained water full of leaf litter and submerged roots.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Panduro apisto is a mostly 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 a Panduro apisto need?

A Panduro apisto needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Panduro apisto need?

A Panduro apisto is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 5.0–6.5.

What does a Panduro apisto eat?

A Panduro apisto eats small frozen and live foods, such as brine shrimp, daphnia and bloodworms.

How big does a Panduro apisto get?

An adult Panduro apisto reaches about 3 in (7.5 cm).

How can you tell a male Panduro apisto from a female?

Males grow larger, reaching about 3 in (7.5 cm), while females stay at around 5.5 cm.

How does a Panduro apisto breed?

Panduro apistos spawn on the substrate or in caves, and the female guards the eggs and fry. A spawning female turns hyper-aggressive, and in a small tank you may need to remove the male. Breeding them is of medium difficulty.

Related species