Tag Archives: dwarf cichlid

Apistogramma iniridae

19. July 2019

Sadly this beautiful dwarf cichlid is only occasionally available, but currently we were able to import once more beautiful, fully grown specimens. The fish display all the behaviour that makes the keeping of these fish so desirable. Like its close relative A. uaupesi, which differs from A. iniridae mainly due to the lyra-shaped caudal fin in the former species, the males are displaying their sailfin-like dorsal fins in harmless hierarchy fights – a wonderful look.

As in most Apistogramma species, the coloration is quite variable. There are specimens with much orange (mainly in the caudal fin), others look rather blueish. This does not represent different populations, but the different colour varieties live side by side.

This up to 7-8 cm long species (females always stay 2-3 cm smaller than the males) should be kept in soft, acidic and warm water (26-30°C). They feed readily on any type of frozen and live food. The females can become very aggressive against the males during broodcare, so it is best to keep the fish in well planted tanks that have a lot of hiding places.

For our customers: the fish has code 622554 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Apistogramma: ancient Greek, means “with unreliable line”. It is not known whether the lateral line organ or the pattern is meant. iniridae: after the type locality, the Rio Inirida. uaupesi: after the type locality, the Rio Uaupes.

Common name: Inirida dwarf cichlid

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma cf. taeniata

20. March 2019

Nobody knows exactly what Apistogramma taeniata is, because the species was described in 1862 after a specimen, which is today in a very bad condition and the verbal description is more than scarce. At the time of the description, the genus Apistogramma did not yet exist, no one had any idea of its variety of forms. After all, the fish that we can currently offer are very similar to those that the Apistogramma specialists regard as A. taeniata.

For our customers: the animals have code 629502 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma regani

1. March 2019

This dwarf cichlid was scientifically described in 1980, long before it was recognized how enormously species-rich the genus Apistogramma is. The exact determination of this species is correspondingly tricky. It is essentially based on the pronounced zebra crossing, which the animals show above all when they are worried. The species is little known in the hobby because it is only very rarely available. We have now received Apistogramma from Brazil which we assign to the species A. regani. This fish is also named A. sp. “Gelbwangen” (= “yellow cheek”) in literature.

The fish have a pronounced colour change ability. A characteristic which only becomes apparent at second glance, but which seems to be very characteristic at least for the variant we have just imported, is the red spot on the tail root of the animals. 

The care of Apistogramma regani is typical for Amazonian dwarf cichlids, our specimens have so far proved to be very robust and healthy animals.

For our customers: the animals have code 628103 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Telmatochromis vittatus

8. August 2018

Only comparatively rarely Telmatochromis vittatus from Lake Tanganyika can be found in the trade, despite the fact that this dwarf cichlid – it becomes only about 8.5 cm long – is perfectly suited for keeping and breeding in home aquaria. Maybe this is due to the fact that the fish look somewhat similar but not as brillant as Julidochromis species.

Keeping this fish is easy and can be compared with that of the several Lamprologus species. Like these, T. vittatus is a biparental cave brooder which is kept best by pair. Males become larger than females and develop a small hump on the head. The aquarists dedicted to T. vittatus like it very much due to the fact that this fish loves to feed on small snails. This led to the misleading popular name „Striped Snail Telmatochromis“. However, hobbyists think that a snail cichlid is a species that prefers to breed in empty snail shells; T. vittatus does not usually.

For our customers: the fish have code 576542 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma mendezi Santa Isabel

22. June 2018

Apistogramma mendezi belongs without any doubt to the most attractive members of the genus, but the animals we currently obtained from around Santa Isabel are even more attractive than usual. Of course the males of that population are as polychromatic as all Apistogramma males are, which means that hardly two males are looking identical, but most animals show a high degree of orange colours in fins and body and also most males have bloodred gill membranes.

For our customers: the fish have code 624784 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma trifasciata

6. April 2018

In case this dwarf cichlid would not exist it would be necessary to invent it for the aquarium hobby. Apistogramma trifasciata is an ideal aquarium inhabitant. The species stays small – males around 5 cm, females around 4 cm. It is completely undemanding regarding water chemistry – keeping and breeding is possible even in medium hard and slighlty alcalic water – and energy-saving: as the fish inhabits in nature subtropical regions it is often faced with water temperatures as low as 10°C, so an aquarium heater is needed only for breeding. Besides all these advantages it is a beautiful fish and has an interesting behaviour.

Currently we can offer that beautiful fish as European bred ones.

For our customers: the fish have code 629983 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma atahualpa

12. July 2017

Before its scientific description this beautiful species of dwarf cichlid was known in the hobby as the „Sunset-Apistogramma“. And in fact the body coloration of a female during brood care reminds one in a sunset. The scientific name, atahualpa, refers to the last great ruler of the Inka empire: Atahualpa. He was captured by the Spain Pizarro in 1532 and in 1533 executed; this was the sunset of the Inka empire.

Currently we obtain beautiful wild collected specimens of A. atahualpa.

For our customers: the animals have code 614913 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Wallaceochromis signatus

6. June 2017

Prior to its scientific description this species as been known in the hobby under the names of Pelvicachromis sp. „Bandi1“ or „Guinea“. The species can be always easily recognized by the black tailspot of the female. Usally the female has only one black spot in the dorsal fin; the fact that the photomodel from our current stock has two spots in der dorsal bases on an individual aberration. The many spots in the dorsal fin in the male is also species-specific for Wallaceochromis signatus.

The cichlids love to dig! One should keep all these dwarf cichlids always in a tank that contains at least in part a soft sandy bottom. Digging in the sand serves not only to let the fish feel comfortable, but it is also very healthy for them.

For our customers: the fish have code 560454 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in small numbers only!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pelvicachromis roloffi

1. June 2017

The maybe rarest of all dwarf cichlids of the genus Pelvicachromis is P. roloffi. So we are very glad that in our current import from Guinea some specimens were included. This species depicts in almost all different moods a clearly visible, horizontal band. The females are – as usual in Pelvicachromis – the more colorful fishes. P. roloffi is a small species. Males hardly grow larger than 8.5 cm, femals always stay smaller.

For our customers: the fish have code 560303 on our stocklist. Please note the we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in small numbers only!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma borellii Paraguay wild

11. March 2017

Recently we received beautiful wild collected specimens of A. borellii from Paraguay. This species is an ideal aquarium fish. In contrast to many other species of the genus A. borellii is completely undemanding regarding water chemistry. Even in medium hard, slightly alcalic water the species thrives well and even breeds. The behaviour of A. borelli is similar to most other Apistogrammas: it is a polygamous species (that means each male breeds with several females), a cavebrooder, and the female has to do the most work in respect of taking care for the fry. However, A. borellii is among all the different types of Apistogramma the one that fits best to human ideals: it is even possible to keep it in pairs and every now and then even males take care for the brood. It is recommended to keep the fish in unheated aquaria during some weeks of the year. This will lead to a longer life in A. borellii and healthier fish.

During the current photosession we observed by chance that the neck-pattern of the fish formes so-called „eyespots“. These eyespots make the fish look by far bigger for possible predators. To the best of our knowledge this phenomenon has not been been mentioned for any Apistogramma species so far!

For our customers: the fish have code 615703 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Apistogramma: ancient Greek, means “with unreliable line”. It is not known wether the lateral line organ or the pattern is meant. borellii: dedication name. 

Common name: Umbrella cichlid, Yellow dwarf cichlid

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma elizabethae

24. February 2017

On wednesday we received wild collected Apistogramma elizabethae. Anytime we get such rarities we take an even closer look than anyway on the fishes wether they really belong to the ordered species and if bycatches are among them. Apistogramma elizabethae can be told apart from other, similar species by an unique feature: alarmed fish loose much of their coloration and show two horizontically arranged oval spots on the flanks. This double spot can be also seen under special light conditions in relaxed fish, but it is much less obvious then.

So we took our documentary photos and discovered a male that looked totally different from all Apistogramma-elizabethae males we have ever seen before: it had broad vertical bars on the belly! We selected the fish and two others to take a closer look in the phototank. But here the male didn´t show that coloration anymore. Instead it came very quickly in mood for sexual activities and delivered a fabulous combat with his likeness in a small pocket mirror. These fish are simply gorgeous!

For our customers: the animals have code 618712 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma trifasciata „Rio San Martin“

14. February 2017

We received very nice German bred specimens of that dwarf cichlid. The specimens are descendants of the yellow-headed population that has been initially collected by the well known dwarf cichlid specialist and ichthyologist Dr. Wolfgang Steack in the Rio San Martin (Rio Guapore basin). He portrayed that population in detail in the DCG Sonderheft 2008 (March, 2008). Our breeder told us that this variety proofes to polychromatic. Among the offspring every now and than also more or less blue-headed specimens appear.

For our customers: the fish have code 630152 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma personata Mitu

10. February 2017

The identity of this dwarf cichlid – it belongs to the absolute top-rarities – is under discussion. It is a fact hat it has been collected for the first time in 1995 by Uwe Werner and company near Mitu, Colombia. The city of Mitu is placed at the banks of the Rio Vaupes. Uwe was able to bring some live specimens with him, but sadly they did not breed successfully. These fish were introduced in the hobby literature under the name of A. personata. Uwe Römer in his book „Cichliden Atlas“ identifies these fish as Apistogramma brevis. However, both species – A. brevis and A. personata – are only very poorly studied, so currently it is not possible to decide which opinion is the right one. We simply named them Apistogramma personata Mitu because they are better known in the hobby under that name.

In respect of coloration this species is not a burner, but very interesting. The ability to change the colours is enormous – all pictures show the very same three specimens, one male and two females. A very interesting fact is that the male shows eyespots on the opercles when it is very excited; in cool moods these eyespots are hardly visible.

For our customers: the fish have code 626484 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in small numbers only!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer