Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid

1 Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid Profile

The Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid is mainly distributed in Manaus, Santarém, and the Rio Negro of the Amazon River basin. With a body length of 9-6 cm, it is a relatively slender, small dwarf cichlid.

Binomial: Apistogramma pertensis

English name: Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid

Distribution: Amazon River

Body length: 9 cm, 6 cm

Water temperature: 23-29 C

Water quality: conductivity <15 uS, pH 5.0-5.5

2 Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid Appearance

The Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid is a relatively easy-to-keep carnivorous dwarf cichlid. Many aquarists like dwarf cichlids because of their very bright and beautiful body colors, and the keeping difficulty is not very high.

The Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid is a slender and petite dwarf cichlid, with a black longitudinal stripe running along the body and a caudal fin adorned with an arc of red spots. The dorsal fin of mature males can extend greatly, displaying brilliant, colorful patterns especially during fights and courtship. The Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid has a long history and appeared in aquarium shops as an ornamental fish, but unfortunately, when stressed by the environment they look rather plain, and to this day they have not received the attention of hobbyists.

3 Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid Habitat

Keeping the Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid is not difficult. It likes weakly acidic to neutral water, with a recommended temperature of 23-29 C, pH of 5.0-5.5, and conductivity below 15 uS.

It is recommended to provide natural tree holes when keeping the Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid; with natural tree holes, cichlid caves are not needed. The preferred aquatic plants are small triangular moss and pineapple moss; the moss also lets shrimp graze on algae and take shelter. Dwarf cichlids like to peck at marimo balls and small-leaf ferns, so these aquatic plants should not be kept in the cichlid tank.

Cryptocoryne: The roots of Cryptocoryne are the only among aquatic plants that directly absorb harmful substances in the tank, whereas ordinary aquatic plants can only absorb them after nitrifying bacteria break down the toxins. Cryptocoryne also has low lighting requirements and is easy to maintain.

4 Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid Feeding

The Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid can be considered the leader of the dwarf cichlid family. To keep this cichlid well, besides stable water quality, what to feed it is also very important. Because the Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid is quite territorial, feeding requires certain methods.

The Amazonas Dwarf Cichlid is fairly omnivorous and accepts both artificial feed and live food. Artificial feed can be flakes or pellets; it is not picky with live food, but make sure live food is thoroughly disinfected and frozen food is of good quality, and frozen food is best thawed before feeding, because these fish are prone to intestinal and parasitic diseases. During breeding, nutrition can be enhanced; bloodworms and brine shrimp are both good choices.