| Apistogrammas
and Dwarf
Cichlids in
the Aquarium
News
June
9, 2012
I've been meaning to recommend Tom Christoffersen's article
Collecting in the Río Tahuayo and
the Río Tamshiyacu drainages 2011.
In it, Tom recounts his search for the different forms of Apistogramma
panduro. Its an excellent photo essay so check it out.
If you enjoy reading about collecting
expeditions be sure to check out our collecting
dwarf cichlids page where I have a host of stories and
information about collecting in the wild.
April
20, 2012
After a very long break I have posted
a new fish profile today. Apistogramma
baenschi is a great fish. It is easy to keep and breed, very
beautiful and is typically out in front and easily seen. I
have been keeping this species for several years and it has become a
favorite of mine.
Selected
Older Items
September
20, 2011
There are well over 300
different species, subspecies or forms of Apistogramma and it is almost
impossible for any one person to be familiar with them all. Fortunately
for us all, Mike Wise is one person who not only keeps up with every
form and variation but understands how they all relate to each other.
Mike has provided an incredible service to us all by publishing his Apistogramma
Species List By
Species-Groups/Complexes August, 2011.
This is the definitive listing of Apistogrammas and if you are serious
about these fish you will want to bookmark and save this page.
May
25, 2009
You are never too young to fall in love with dwarf cichlids and many
young people enjoy keeping and breeding them. However, for most, the
thought that they might someday collect their own Apistogrammas in the
wilds of the Amazon is only a dream.
For
one young hobbyist the dream became a reality and Hudson, from Manaus,
Brazil has taken a great interest in dwarf cichlids at a young age. He
has started his own blog and has recently put on a page
describing his collecting trip to the Amazon river near the village of
Itapeaçu. You can read the complete description of this and other
collecting trips he has made at Hudson's World.
April 10, 2009
I've always wanted to go on a fish collecting
expedition but never have. I console myself by reading the accounts of
others and have put together a page of resources about collecting
dwarf cichlids.
There are lots of stories of collecting trips along with a listing of
expedition providers as well as some other interesting info. If you
have ever wondered about a fish collecting trip check this page out!
From
the
In-Box
Apistogramma
agassizii variants?
March 20, 2014
Question:
I saw a picture of an Apistogramma that I really want to get.
It is called a flaming red dwarf cichlid. I have not been able to find
these for sale. Do you have any?
Answer:
The fish you saw was probably an aquarium form of
Apistogramma agassizii. There is a strain that has a bright yellow to
white body with bright reds in the tail and fins. The mix of colors can
vary widely as can the name they are sold under. Look for red flame,
fire red or red fire agassizii and you will likely find fish similar to
what you saw in the photo.
Oak
Leaves?
December
9, 2012
Question:
I noticed that you suggest to put oak leaves in the cichlid
tank.
I was just wondering if any type of oak leaf would work? I'm from
Nebraska and we have a lot of bur oaks. Would these leaves be ok in my
tank?
Answer:
As far as I know, every type of oak leaf will work just fine.
I
have used Bur Oak leaves a lot and I know that they will work fine.
They will last in the tank for a couple of months before they start to
significantly deteriorate.
Flake
Food?
January 29, 2009
Question:
What brand of flake food do you recommend?
Answer:
I don't feed flake food to my fish. I use so many floating
plants that floating foods don't work for me. Instead I use sinking
pellets to feed my Apistogrammas and other fish. If they worked for me
I would not hesitate to feed flake as almost all of the flakes on the
market today
provide good balanced nutrition for your fish. Rather than brand I
would focus on freshness and variety. Once you open the food it begins
to lose
quality. After 6 months it has lost a lot of the quality of new. My
advice is buy small containers of food and use them as quick as
possible. If you have old stale food throw it away and get fresh. You
can read more about how I feed at Good
Food and at Equipment.
.
New Fish
News
September 2013
Apistogramma aguarico sp. n. is a
newly described
species from Ecuador that is a member of the Apistogramma eunotus
complex of the Apistogramma regani group. At this time it is
unlikely that the casual hobbyist will encounter this species.
July
2012 Apistogramma allpahuayo
is now the
official name for the fish that has been known as A. sp. Back Chin.
Often confused for A. jurensis this fish is often available from
specialty importers.
December
15, 2011 Apistogramma playayacu sp. n. has
recently been described by Uwe Romer, Joscha Beninde & Ingo
Hahn.
This species is only known from a museum collection and has never been
in the aquarium hobby. However, detailed collection information is
available to the adventurous collector.
April
14, 2011 Apistogramma cinilabra
has recently been described By Uwe Romer. This is a species that has
been in the hobby as A. sp. Schwarzbrust/Black-breast. However, it has
not been widely distributed.
September 4, 2010 Dicrossus foirni and Dicrossus warzeli
are two newly described South American dwarf cichlids. Each of these
species has been in the hobby for a number of years so it is good to
have them finally named.
August
7, 2009 Enigmatochromis
lucanusi is
now the proper name for the fish the hobby has known as
Pelvicachromis sp. ?blue fin?. The species was thought to be
closely related to Pelvicachromis roloffi but the describer, Dr. Anton
Lamboj, judged the fish to be unique enough that he actually created
a new genus for it.
May 18, 2009
Laetacara
araguaiae is now the
correct name for the fish that the hobby has known as Laetacara sp.
"bukelkopf" following its formal description by Felipe P. Ottoni
& Wilson J. E. M. Costa. Along with their description
of
the pair also re described Laetacara
dorsigera. Along with the clarification that this article provides, it
also creates some confusion as the authors mention another species,
L. minutacara,
without any info as to what this species might
be. We can only hope that this is another description that they have in
progress.
November 23, 2008
Apistogramma
erythrura
is a newly described species that has been in the hobby for
some time
as Apistogramma sp. Mamore. This is a very attractive Apisto that is
most closely related to Apistogramma trifasciata. The species has been
in the hobby since 1995 when it was introduced in Germany.
The
description is interesting reading for dwarf cichlid fans and
includes several nice color photos.
 photo
enlarges
Male Apistogramma Xingu
There
is no
strict definition of what a dwarf cichlid is but generally
speaking they are small sized and relatively peaceful. Typically, most
dwarf cichlids are no more than about 3 inches in length although many
never get that large and a few get somewhat larger. Dwarf cichlids are
found in both South
America and
West Africa.
South
American dwarf cichlids include Apistogramma,
Apistogrammoides,
Biotoecus, Crenicara, Dicrossus,
Laetacara,
Nannacara, Mikrogeophagus
and
Taeniacara. There are more species
of Apistogramma than the others combined but the Blue Ram cichlid,
Mikrogeophagus
ramirezi, is not
only the most popular and widely kept dwarf cichlid but an all time
favorite among all
tropical fish. This fish was once known as Apistogramma ramirezi but it
is not an Apistogramma species.
Pelvicachromis
and Nanochromis
are
the two most popular genera of West
African
Dwarf Cichlids. The Pelvicachromis
species
are generally more
available than the Nanochromis.The ever
popular Krib or Kribensis,
Pelvicachromis pulcher, has long been a popular
tropical fish and cichlid lovers have kept them in their
aquariums for many years. If you have never kept dwarf cichlids Kribs
are a great first choice.
The information
we provide about keeping
and breeding Apistogrammas
and other dwarf cichlids includes sections on foods &
feeding, aquarium set up, aquarium maintenance, aquarium plants, fish
health and much
more.
One of
the biggest problems with Apistogrammas and other dwarf cichlids is
finding them! Check
out our Buying Fish
section for information on where to find these exotic tropical
fish.
You can
find a lot of information about Rams, Kribs, Apistogrammas and other
dwarf
cichlids on the Internet. However, I strongly recommend that you
purchase one or more of the books available. Visit our book reviews to learn
about the books that are available.
 Apistogramma
cacatuoides male
Finally,
several times a month I get a smile when I check my mail and discover a
new issue of one of my favorite aquarium magazines has arrived. Reading
these great magazines each month helps to keep me energized and
inspired. If you want to enjoy your hobby more I strongly recommend
subscribing to one of the excellent publications available. You can
read my thoughts about them in our magazine
reviews.
Most of the magazines have Apistogramma articles at times and general
dwarf cichlid information is frequently presented.
Take some
time
to explore our site. We hope to
be your
source for quality information about all aspects of enjoying
Apistogramma
and other dwarf
cichlids in your own aquarium. If you have any questions, comments or
criticisms please Contact Me
Dwarfcichlid.com
- practical advice about keeping, breeding and buying
Apistogramma, Mikrogeophagus and other dwarf cichlids.
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