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Old September 1st, 2013, 11:17 PM   #1
robertprice
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Default Cichlid Profiles - Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid

Apistogramma agassizii is one of the better known Brazilian dwarf cichlids and has a wide geographic range which has resulted in its color patterns being split into different lineages. The ones most often seen have a turquoise flecked mouth, dark eye, turquoise flecked gill cover, and various shades of blue on the belly. There is gold to yellow stripe horizontally below the the dorsal fin which becomes whiter toward the tail. They have gold fins and an orange or orange-red tail. Females are less colorful and have less pointy, shorter fins. Males reach 3 inches, females 2. They like very soft water of pH 5-7 and temperatures of 77-85 degrees. They are very peaceful (except with other small cichlids) and shy bottom feeders, who live in rivulets and streams where there is lots of leaf litter in the water.

A 20 gallon tank is suggested for 4 fish, 1 male per 3 females, as the females raise the eggs and fry, but the males may guard several nesting sites. They like lots of stuff in their tanks, ceramic flowerpots, plastic tubing, rocks, and lots of low light plants on a soft substrate with roots and rocks that provide shady areas. They like floating plants and dim light. Dried leaf litter is added for breeding as the fry live of the resulting microbes. Peat is suggested in their filters, as they thrive on tannins. Some like breeding pH as low as 4, and the breeding temperature should be about 85 degrees. Wild caught specimens may need the pH dropped as low as 4 to breed. They lay 80-200 cherry red eggs in crevices and holes and the females take care of the eggs and fry while the male protects the site. They are carnivorous bottom feeders which like blood and blackworms, but will eat small sinking pellets. They are fragile and only tolerate 10-15% water changes. Some people use reverse osmosis to keep their pH and water softness down, and they will die easily if their water chemistry changes more than a little. Photos at "Images of Apistogramma agassizii."
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