Apistogramma diplotaenia

Although this fish was first described in 1987, it didn't reach Europe in larger numbers until 1991. That's when Axel Schneider, Wolfgang Windisch, and Dr. Uwe Römer visited the middle and lower Rio Negro region, where they were able to observe these fish in their natural habitat.

They brought a sizeable number back to Europe and successfully bred them.  Interestingly, SCHMETTKAMP recalls seeing a single male specimen as far back as 1980 at the Diskus Center Royal in Witten-Stockum, swimming amongst red neon tetras.  At the time, he thought the fish was related to the Taeniacara genus. Anyone who breeds this fish will confirm that both T. candidi and this two-striped cichlid have a lot in common.

The fish's name comes from the Greek words "diploos" (double) and "taenia" (stripe, band). In the wild, it lives in shallow, blackwater environments. As mentioned above, these waters are very soft and acidic. There are no plants in these waters; the bottom is usually sandy with lots of fallen leaves and old branches, which provide the fish with excellent hiding places from predators. These predators are mainly adolescent wolf fish (Hoplias malabaricus). In the Rio Padauari and Rio Preto areas, they also live alongside small Crenicichla sp. (probably C. regani), Apistogramma gibbiceps, A. paucisquamis, and A. regani. In the Anavilhanas archipelago, they also live alongside A. pertensis, A. gephyra, Acarichthys heckelii, and Mesonauta insignis. At the confluence of the Rio Preto and Rio Padauari, WINDISCH measured a conductivity of less than 10 µS/cm, a pH of 4.2, and a water depth of 1.6 m.  Males grow up to 5 cm long, females 3.5 - 4 cm.

Keeping

An ideal aquarium size is 60-100 liters, but it can be larger. To make the cichlids feel comfortable, provide plenty of hiding places. The more flowerpots or tubes there are, the better. Of course, we also have the aesthetics of the aquarium in mind.  Likewise, ensure there are plenty of plants.  Maintain solid filtration, not too strong a water current in the aquarium, and not too intense lighting. In normal České Budějovice water with a pH of around 6.8 and a temperature of around 25-26 °C, the fish feel quite comfortable.

They can be kept in a typical community tank, but preferably in a species-only aquarium. The best tank mates for these cichlids are peaceful tetras such as cardinal tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi), neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi), smaller representatives of the genera Hyphessobrycon, Hemigrammus, pencilfish of the genus Nannostomus, and others. It is good to cover the bottom of the tank with river sand with a grain size of 3-5 mm, which provides good protection for young cichlids.

Another option is to keep these fish alone in a species aquarium. It's best to keep them in pairs; then, 10-20 liter tanks with a tube or flowerpot are usually sufficient. If you want to keep several females together, place the tubes or parts of the flowerpots at least 30 cm apart so that the females do not attack each other too much. Each has its own mini-territory, which it also defends. The male has a larger territory, so it is better to place only one male in an aquarium. Sooner or later, the weaker male would be killed. The tank does not need to have a high water level; the bottom area is more important, and above all, plenty of hiding places. In such a harmoniously functioning tank, we can then observe the breeding of the fish when using water with the correct parameters.

Feeding

As I always emphasize, a varied and high-quality diet that is not too rich in fats, but also contains enough fiber, is one of the basic prerequisites for problem-free keeping and successful breeding. Live food is best suited for this. We prefer plankton (Daphnia, Cyclops); in an emergency, Artemia nauplii will help. We feed live or frozen mosquito larvae or, preferably, bloodworms about once a week. If used more often, the fish will become satiated with this food and will not consume it in sufficient quantities. Flake food or granules are rarely accepted by my fish.

Breeding the cichlids

The fish spawn in caves, preferably in parts of flowerpots, but sometimes also in tubes and other hiding places. The female usually chooses this, the male only fertilizes the clutch. The rest of the work is left to the female. There are not many eggs, usually only a few dozen fish are raised. Hatching at a temperature of 27-28 °C takes about 3 days; after another 4 days, the fry are free-swimming. The alpha and omega of successful breeding are, on the one hand, suitable conditions for keeping the parent fish (water quality and diet above all) and, on the other hand, high-quality breeding water. I prefer to use natural water (from a spring 20 km from České Budějovice, 45 µS/cm, pH 5.6) or prepare similar water. I always proceed as is usual when preparing water for tetras. It is possible to use both ion exchangers and reverse osmosis. The lower the dKH, the better.

For the actual rearing of the hatched fry, we use fine Artemia nauplii, Cyclops, but meticulous cleanliness in the rearing tank is necessary! It is better to feed several times a day, always in small amounts. At daily or two-day intervals, we siphon off food remains from the bottom and add fresh water, which is somewhat harder than the breeding water used. We do not exceed the daily amount of half a liter. Young fish do not like major changes in water chemistry.

Pictures:

1. The Amazon rainforest, the "green lungs of the Earth," is home to many beautiful species of animals. The number of fish species is debated, but it certainly exceeds several thousand, both identified and unidentified. The picture shows one of the many small streams on the upper Rio Negro, where we caught two-striped cichlids along with cardinal tetras (Paracheiirodon axelrodi). Occasionally, we also caught Weitzman's tetra (P. weitzmani).
2. On closer inspection of the biotope, we see some cichlids, mainly A. diplotaenia, in addition to cardinal tetras.
3. An adult male A. diplotaenia.
4. A female A. diplotaenia ready to spawn.
5. We set up a rearing tank for cichlids quite simply, with fine filtration, leaving the bottom bare so that the detritus can be easily siphoned off.
6. Example of a rearing tank with a volume of about 20 l, in which we provide both fine filtration that does not cause excessive water flow and sufficient hiding places for the female and the young.