How to care for Dwarf Cichlids

What with the current trend of Dwarf Cichlids going on at the moment, I thought I'd create a small thread on the care of them...

Water:

Dwarf Cichlids, being from the Amazon, (South America) like the same water conditions as Discus, Corydoras, Tetras and other South American fish. And these fish make great tank mates for them.

That being said, some of them will tolerate various water conditions. The general rule of thumb is a PH of around 6, and a GH and KH of around 4. This will prevent PH drops, but water changes will definitely be required to keep the fish happy and healthy. If you live in an area that has hard water, you will need to use RO/Tap water mixtures. See what works for you. A trick you can use when setting up the tank is to use Black Water extract. This simulates the conditions of nature. Another method is to add some peat to your filter for a few days. Tannins will leach into the water. Another method is Indian Almond Leaves or Ketapang leaves. They have the same effect, but there is talk into the leaves having Anti-bacterial properties.

Landscaping the tank:

Apistos like caves and plants. They are territorial, so if your tank is big enough, you can create different territories using wood, rocks and plants so that the apistos caves are not visible from another one. Wood also adds tannins into the tank which has a water softening effect.

Attitudes:

They are territorial fish. They do not tolerate other males in their territory. As a rule, the minimum territory for a male apisto is about the same size as a 2ft tank. They will attack rival males in a small tank. Some are more ferocious than others, but as a rule, males do not get along too well as adults. When raising fry the aggression is spread around a number of males, so no single one get's targeted. Some species will tollerate the males of another species, but only in a heavily planted tank no smaller than 90cm in length.

Feeding:

Most Apistos will eagerly accept Bloodworm, frozen or Dry, brine shrimp, high quality flake food and small pellets. Personally, I wouldn't feed Tubifex worms due to contamination and disease. Many people make a discus food recipe from beef heart, and I have found that my apistos will devour it as well.

Breeding:

This is the best part of keeping Apistogramma species. Their parental behavior is fascinating and they are exceptionally protective parents! They become very aggressive when breeding,especially the females!

Just before breeding occurs, the female will become a bright, very striking yellow colour. The male will be paying very close attention to the female and there will be alot of "shaking" going on. The male will display to the females in this manner.

Do not be afraid if you do not see the female for a couple of days after the above displays were happening. They will lay their eggs on the roof of a cave and the female will remain in the cave to protect the eggs and the fry, once they hatch. After 3 - 4 days the female will come out of the cave with a smallish brood of fry around her. Her yellow colouration will be even more striking at this time. The male will patrol around the territory to make sure that nobody enters his territory.

Once you see the fry, it's time to feed them. Most apisto fry are big enough to accept newly hatched Brine Shrimp. This is the best and most nutritious food for a growing baby fish. I have also had success with some of the powdered fry food, but the losses are bigger than with BBS. Once the parents start to breed again, the babies or parents should be removed from the tank. Most people prefer to remove the parents into another tank as it could potentially damage the fry.

Closing:

Please note that this is a general idea of how to care for apistos. Some species require different conditions to these, but in general, this guide can help you make your Apistogramma a happy and healthy fish.

Sean

 

Damn... Please could a mod/admin move this into the Central and South American Cichlid forum... Sorry for being a doffel.

 

Thanks for the post- very interesting information

 

Good Read Slagter, want to get some dwarfs for my community tank