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Apistogramma and other Dwarf Cichlids [Identification] [Species Info / Pictures] [Keeping & Breeding] [People & Links] This section contains information on dwarf Cichlids from South America and West Africa, with emphasis on the genus Apistogramma. Make sure to also check the Other Fish section if you don't find what you're looking for here.

General

Identification/Books

• First, mull over the conflicting definitions of dwarf cichlid.
• When trying to describe an unknown species to others, check out this Apisto ID Worksheet by Mike Wise. Includes a diagrams of used to distinguish different Apistogramma species.
• general book info (good titles, where to buy, etc.)
• miscellaneous errors, omissions and corrections.
• corrections to H.J. Richter's book (TFH).
• corrections/errors in the Aqualog book.
• photo outtakes from Mayland and Bork's book.
• general ID discussions
• Latin Terms, History of Genus, etc. (what's "aff." mean, etc.)
• discussions on the possibility of regional variations in Apistogramma.
• Do Apistos Interbreed across species?

Species Information, Discussion and Pictures

Apistogramma species

Other South American Dwarfs Apistogrammoides pucallpaensis Biotecus sp. Crenicara punctulatum Dicrossus filamentosus (Crenicara filamentosa, checkerboard cichlid) Dicrossus maculatus Dicrossus sp. Laetacara curviceps Nannacara anomala Nannacara taenia other Nannacara Microgeophagus/Papiliochromis ramirezi (the Ram) Microgeophagus/Papiliochromis altispinosa (Bolivian Ram) Taenicara candidi

West African Dwarfs Anomolachromis thomasi Hemichromis (Jewel Cichlids) Nanochromis nudiceps and parilus Nanochromis transvestitus Pelvicachromis humilis Pelvicachromis pulcher (also known as the Krib, Kribensis, etc.). Pelvicachromis roloffi Pelvicachromis "sacrimontis" Pelvicachromis subocellatus Pelvicachromis taeniatus

Practical Keeping and Breeding Notes

• Good/Bad Beginner Dwarfs
• Acclimating fish from the store
• What to feed: in general, for the fry, debates about enhancing color through additives, and earthworm flakes. (Also check the general food section, and the FAQ.)
• General Biotope Information
• What tank size (and fish density) is appropriate?
• Tank location, light, etc.
• Caves and other Spawning media
• Plants, Dead Leaves, etc.
• Suitable Tankmates (keeping them in a community tank? Animals that won't eat eggs?)
• Aggression
• Dither and Target fish
• Substrate (gravel, leaf litter, peat, etc)
• Appropriate and extreme temperature ranges
• Diseases (also see the separate Diseases Section)
• pH: Mega-archive of how to get appropriate pH, including peat, rainwater, chemicals, etc.
• Inducing them to spawn
• Adult Size and Age for Spawning; too young? too old?
• Harem-like behaviour for spawning? (or lack thereof)
• Sunlight's effect on spawning
• pH/hardness and Temperature's effect on sex ratio, survival rate, growth, etc.
• Can adults change sex?
• Wild or Domestics: Breeding differences
• The Eggs: Color, hatch time, fungusing, etc.
• Leaving your light on 24-hours: Improving survival rate of eggs and young?
• Artificial hatching
• Do the parents move the eggs? The fry?
• Parents guarding their fry? other parents' fry? Live food?
• When fry are considered free-swimming
• changing water while fry are small
• When and if parents should be removed from the fry (or from each other!)
• Inbreeding and other similar issues
• How fast do they grow?
• Catching the fry

Miscellany

• Bagging and shipping your apistos
• Collecting trips
• Quarantining wild fish
• Import restrictions and licensing
• Contaminants: "Life is like a box of apistos... you never know what you're gonna get."
• You think Apistos are expensive in the US? Take a look at some prices in Tokyo!
• Showing Your Fish

Apisto People and Other Web Sites

Here are some other dwarf cichlid sites I found interesting and think you will too. Sites listed here primarily provide articles and other information (though some are commercial sites and also have price lists).

• Much of this information comes from the Apistogramma Mailing List. Here are biographies of a few of the folks who wrote these articles. I am also hosting the searchable archive of this list (all the articles, but all the noise).
• the Apistogramma study Group is the oldest existing Apistogramma organization
• South American Cichlid Study Group includes apistos to their coverage. Visit their website.
• David Soares Apistogramma
• Apistogramma Idiots is Uwe Romer and David Soares's new website.
• Julio Melgar's pages: pictures, interesting wild fish they've collected from South America, and a price list.
• A Taiwanese site with lots of pictuers. Unfortunately for me, I can't read Taiwanese.
• Richard Sexton's Apisto Site has some pictures.
• Randy Carey has the occasional Apisto article and photo at his site.
• A Japanese Site (don't know much about it... can't read Japanese either).
• A Sweedish Site mostly about west Africans.
• Don "Z-Man" has a lot of articles on his personal experience.
• The Digital Aquarium, Max Gallade's website. Good photos!

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