Apistogramma Agassizii (Apistogramma agassizii) Care Guide
A colorful dwarf cichlid with a spade-shaped tail and vibrant blue, gold, and red coloring in males. Thrives in soft, acidic blackwater setups with plenty of caves and leaf litter.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Apistogramma agassizii is a species in the family Cichlidae. A colorful dwarf cichlid with a spade-shaped tail and vibrant blue, gold, and red coloring in males. Thrives in soft, acidic blackwater setups with plenty of caves and leaf litter. Males are territorial but peaceful towards dissimilar species.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cichlidae
- Genus: Apistogramma
- Scientific name: Apistogramma agassizii
- Other names: Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid
- Origin: South America
Habitat
Widely distributed across the lowland Amazon basin in Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, including the lower Solimões, Madeira and Tapajós drainages. Inhabits forest streams and floodplain pools, often in soft, slightly acidic water with leaf litter and submerged wood. Numerous geographic colour forms are circulated under collection-locality names.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C
- pH: 5-7
- GH: 1-8 °dGH
- Water flow: low
- Adult size: 5-7 cm
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
- Difficulty: intermediate
Diet
Classified as omnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 2x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: semi-aggressive
- Swimming level: bottom
- Compatible tank mates: Corydoras, Cardinal Tetra, Otocinclus, Harlequin Rasbora
- Avoid with: Other Dwarf Cichlids, Large Cichlids, Aggressive Fish
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: cave-spawner
- Breeding difficulty: intermediate
Apistogramma agassizii Breeding Guide
Overview
Apistogramma agassizii is a substrate-spawning dwarf cichlid from South America that normally lays its eggs in crevices or cavities among the decor. The female is responsible for post-spawning care of the eggs and fry. Spawning is partial, meaning not all individuals spawn at the same time, and a female releases a single batch of oocytes in each breeding season.
Sexing
Males are larger and more colourful and develop more extended fins than females. Body colour and fin length are important during courtship: larger males are more likely to control higher-quality territory. Females are smaller and comparatively plain.
Conditioning
Commercially produced fish are relatively unfussy about water chemistry, but some wild populations may require a pH as low as 3.0 to 4.0 in order to breed. The species tolerates a broad range, recorded around 22 to 29 degrees C and a hardness of 0 to 179 ppm, with breeding studies citing a preference for hardness near 50 to 100 mg/L and a pH around 6.0.
Breeding Setup
Provide small caves or cavities among the decor for the female to use as a spawning site, along with soft, acidic water as indicated above. Because males develop and defend territory, a setup that allows the female her own defensible cave supports the natural cave-spawning pattern.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The female deposits her eggs inside a crevice or cavity. Both sexes pass through four phases of gonad maturation (immature, developing, spawning-capable and regressing), and reproduction is asynchronous across a group. Courtship is mediated by male body colour and fin length and by control of quality territory.
Egg & Fry Care
The female tends the eggs and fry after spawning and may become aggressive; in smaller tanks the male may need to be removed to prevent conflict. Specific egg counts, hatch time in days and fry first foods are not detailed in the consulted sources and are therefore omitted.