Umbrella Cichlid

Apistogramma borellii

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.0
Adult size: 2.6 in (6.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 18 gal (70 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

Keep it as a pair or a male with a couple of females in a planted tank of around 70 liters with sight breaks and hiding spots. It works the lower and middle water and is mostly peaceful, though it gets defensive around fry. Water should be soft and acidic, pH 6 to 7, at 20 to 26 C. Feed small live and frozen foods like daphnia and bloodworms, with quality micro-pellets and flake. Pair it with calm, small tankmates that stay out of its space at breeding time.

In the wild

The umbrella cichlid, Apistogramma borellii, comes from the Paraguay and Parana drainage across Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. It lives in shallow, slow creeks, ponds, and river edges with soft bottoms and thick plant growth. It also handles cooler water than most apistos, which fits its more southern range. Give it a sandy bottom, dense planting, and small caves or coconut shells, with soft, slightly acidic water in the low to mid 20s C.

Good to know

This is a dwarf cichlid in the family Cichlidae. Males reach about 6.5 cm and females a bit smaller, and males carry yellow color with blue on the face. It is a cave-spawning species: the female lays eggs inside a hidden spot and guards the fry while the male holds the wider territory. It tolerates a wider, cooler temperature range than many tropical apistos.

Did you know

It is one of the more cold-tolerant dwarf cichlids, comfortable down around 20 C where many apistos start to suffer. That makes it a good pick for an unheated or cooler room tank, and a useful tankmate for other fish that prefer the lower end of the tropical range.