The double stripe (= the translation of the word diplotaenia) is still a rare occurrence in the aquarium. For successful breeding you have to reach pretty deep into the bag of tricks of water chemistry and the animals are also relatively unproductive. This unusual Apistogramma species originates from the black water of the Rio Negro, where it lives mostly over bare sandy bottoms in larger breeding colonies. With a maximum total length of 5 cm (i.e. including the caudal fin) it belongs to the smallest cichlid species at all.
Like all Apistogramma species it is polychromatic, i.e. there are different color variations within a population. The best known are blue colorings of A. diplotaenia (see e.g. https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/many_fantastic_apistogramma_arrived__en/), but there are also yellow-red animals. The latter predominate in the magnificent German offspring we can offer right now. In addition, we have just a few wild catches in the stock. For more information and pictures see also https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/apistogramma_diplotaenia_en/
For our customers: the animals have code 618641 (wild) and 618652 (bred) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
