Red-lined Dwarf Cichlid

1 Species Overview

The red-lined dwarf cichlid is a dwarf cichlid famous for its red color, and it is fairly simple to keep with no special demands. It was named by Dr. Sven Kullander in 1979.

Chinese name: Red-lined dwarf cichlid

Scientific name: Apistogramma hongsloi

English name: Red-lined Dwarf Cichlid

Native range: South America: Orinoco River basin, in Colombia’s Vichada River and the central Meta River, and along the central Orinoco basin, a tropical lowland

Length: 3.4 cm

2 Appearance and Physical Traits

The red-lined dwarf cichlid is native to tropical lowlands and not hard to keep, with no special demands. It is a favorite dwarf cichlid, both for being easy and for its beauty.

It is a dwarf cichlid famous for its red color, grouped into types 1 to 3 by color form. Males show bright looks, while females, like all Apistogramma mothers, turn bright yellow when ready to breed. It breeds in caves.

3 Habitat and Living Environment

The red-lined dwarf cichlid has no special demands and is easy to keep. Adults are 3.4 cm, so a suitably sized tank is needed. Suggested pH 5.5 to 6.0, temperature 23 to 30 C.

In a tank with gentle flow, slightly yellow water, dark substrate, driftwood, and plants to weave through, hide, and hunt, the fish is at ease and shows its full display color. Keep it in a planted tank with hiding spots; add a few Indian almond leaves, which both improve water and prevent disease. A tank with plants and moss, stocked with grass shrimp for the fish to hunt, is a good choice; eating shrimp helps its color develop.

4 Feeding Guidelines

The red-lined dwarf cichlid is not hard to keep and has no special demands; it is not picky and eats almost any food it can swallow. How to choose healthy, suitable food?

Feed it hatched brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, flakes, and pellets. The red-lined dwarf cichlid is usually a good parent with natural fry-raising skill. After about one and a half months the fry can leave the parents and live on their own.