Information
Apistogramma agassizii is the scientific name for the Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid, a fish that occurs in many Southern tributaries of the Amazon river. Its specific name honours the Swiss-American zoologist and geologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873).
In the aquarium
Male Agassiz’s dwarf cichlids are territorial by nature. Just like all dwarf cichlids the Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid requires weekly partial water changes in order to keep the nitrate levels as low as possible. The Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid grows to 4 inches (10 cm.) in length. It prefers a hardness level of 50–100 mg/L and a pH of 6.0.
They should be housed in an aquarium of at least 10 gallons. In order to reduce problems arising from their territorial nature, it is important to break up lines of sight within the aquarium, something that can be achieved with bogwood, root ornaments and hardy plants. They should not be kept in the same aquarium as other dwarf cichlids. A better choice of tankmates would be a shoal of tetras or other small fish native to the Amazon River.
