1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful with small tankmates; males compete in small tanks.
224 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful with small tankmates; males compete in small tanks.
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; females are smaller and, when breeding, yellow with black blotches (the 'panda' pattern).
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner (harem) · Hard
Cave spawner: the female guards the eggs in a cave and cares for the fry.
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.
40-80 eggs
The female guards the wrigglers and then the free-swimming fry; feed microworms and newly hatched brine shrimp from day 4-5.
A dwarf cichlid known only from black-water tributaries of the Río Ucayali in northern Peru. Trade names: panda dwarf cichlid, Nijssen's dwarf cichlid.
Kullander described this dwarf cichlid in 1979. Brood-guarding females turn yellow with black blotches, giving the name 'panda'. It is a peaceful species from soft, acidic forest waters.
First described by Sven O. Kullander in 1979. Named for Named after Dutch ichthyologist Han Nijssen.
12 facts checked with sources
Valid name (Kullander, 1979) per Seriously Fish and FishBase; DATZ A180. Trade names 'panda dwarf cichlid' and 'Nijssen's dwarf cichlid'. Hobby forums (apistogramma.com) report frequent confusion with the similar A. panduro in the trade; not confirmed by a primary source.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseniLegacy has no family field. FishBase: Cichlidae, subfamily Geophaginae (fetch tool summarised the wording).
FishBase: Apistogramma nijsseni summarySources disagree sharply. FishBase: max 3.9 cm SL (fetch-tool summary). Seriously Fish lists 8.5 cm SL males / 7.0 cm SL females, which looks implausible for this small species and may be a data error on that page. Per the brief, FishBase is preferred for size; 3.9 cm SL is roughly 5 cm TL, so legacy 6 cm is a little generous. Treat as low confidence.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseniSeriously Fish (preferred for husbandry) 24-28°C; FishBase 23-30°C. Legacy 22-27 starts too cool.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseniSeriously Fish 5.0-6.5 (FishBase 5.0-5.6). Legacy upper limit 7.0 is too high for this black-water species.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseniLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish range recorded (FishBase dH up to 5).
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseni60 x 30 x 30 cm = 54 L. Legacy 60 L is slightly more generous.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseniCommunity-suitable; males are territorial towards each other.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseniLegacy has no range field. FishBase: Carahuayte River drainage, a tributary of the Ucayali; black-water creeks among vegetation. IUCN: Data Deficient (assessed 25 April 2014, per FishBase).
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseniMale size and colour verified. The female 'panda' pattern (yellow with black spots) is the source of the trade name but is not described on the pages checked.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseniMatches legacy. FishBase adds that both parents may guard the larvae.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseni · FishBase: Apistogramma nijsseni summaryPeruvian origin verified. 'Vivid blue and red of males' and 'males stay compact' were not quoted in any source; the compact-size point is contested (see adultSizeCm).
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma nijsseni