6 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful with small tetras and rasboras; males defend a territory against other males.
345 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful with small tetras and rasboras; males defend a territory against other males.
Frozen bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp, small sinking pellets and live baby brine shrimp.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males are larger, more colourful and have longer fins, with a pointed (spade/lyre) tail; females are smaller and turn yellow with dark markings when breeding.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner (harem) · Moderate
Harem cave spawner: eggs are laid on the ceiling of a cave or crevice and the female cares for eggs and fry. In small tanks the male may need removing.
Keep one male with 2-4 females; each female claims a cave, pot or coconut shell.
A 40 L tank with a sponge or gentle filter, fine sand, many small caves, terracotta pots and leaf litter, with soft, slightly acidic water.
Soft, slightly acidic water, warmer temperatures, frequent water changes and live or frozen foods.
Up to about 150 eggs per spawn, laid in a cave.
The female guards the wrigglers and then the free-swimming fry; feed microworms and newly hatched brine shrimp from day 4-5.
A widespread Amazon basin dwarf cichlid and a hobby classic; numerous colour strains (e.g. 'fire red', 'double red') have been line-bred for the trade.
Steindachner described this dwarf cichlid in 1875, originally in Geophagus, from fish collected on Louis Agassiz's Thayer Expedition to Brazil. It became one of the classic Apistogramma of the hobby. Many wild and bred colour forms exist.
First described by Franz Steindachner in 1875. Named for Named after Swiss-American naturalist Louis Agassiz.
15 facts checked with sources
Valid name. Originally described as Geophagus agassizii Steindachner, 1875; Apistogramma parva Ahl, 1931 is a synonym (Seriously Fish). Legacy id spells it 'agassizi'; the correct spelling has a double i.
FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summaryLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded.
FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summarySeriously Fish: males 7.5 cm SL, females 5.0 cm SL (standard length). Legacy 8 cm is within rounding of the male size. FishBase's 4.4 cm SL is smaller.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassizii · FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summaryLegacy 23-28 sits inside Seriously Fish's 22-29 (preferred for husbandry). FishBase gives a narrower 26-29.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassizii · FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summaryFishBase 5.0-7.0 matches legacy exactly. Seriously Fish lists a very low 3.0-4.0 but says commercially produced fish are relatively unfussy and that only some wild populations may need such a low pH to breed.
FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summary · Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassiziiLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish range recorded (FishBase 0-12).
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassizii · FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summarySeriously Fish: 60 x 30 cm base for a single pair, ~54 L (60 x 30 x 30 cm = 54 L); larger for a group. Legacy 60 L is slightly more generous.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassizii · FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summaryNo minimum number given. FishBase recommends a harem of several females per male; Seriously Fish sizes the tank for a single pair. Legacy breeding advice (one male, 2-4 females) is consistent.
FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summaryFine with peaceful community fish but territorial towards congeners; Seriously Fish adds that a brooding female can become very aggressive in small tanks.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassiziiFishBase says benthopelagic (near the bottom); Seriously Fish describes leaf-litter habitat. No source names a mid-water zone; legacy 'm' (middle) is doubtful but unsourced either way.
FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summaryLegacy has no range field. Seriously Fish: slow tributaries, backwaters and creeks with leaf litter. IUCN: Least Concern (assessed 30 November 2020, per FishBase).
FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summaryLegacy verified in substance. Female yellow brood colour is a standard Apistogramma trait but not quoted here.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassiziiMatches legacy.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassizii · FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summaryLegacy 40-100 eggs fits within FishBase's maximum. No hatch time given in sources (legacy gives none).
FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summarySeriously Fish notes many geographic colour forms exist which may or may not be distinct species; A. agassizii sits in the A. trifasciata lineage with A. bitaeniata and A. gibbiceps.
FishBase: Apistogramma agassizii summary · Seriously Fish: Apistogramma agassizii