The Agassiz's dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma elisabethae) - Beauty from Rio Uaupes
Apistogramma elisabethae, a small, colorful dwarf cichlid from the Amazon, is a popular aquarium fish. Males sport vibrant red and blue hues, while females have softer yellow and brown tones. They are peaceful and relatively easy to care for.
I received the Agassiz's dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma elizabethae) in 1993 from my long-time and good friend Horst LINKE. At that time, I managed to breed some of the specimens I received, and I gave the fish to the excellent Czech dwarf cichlid breeder Radek WINKLER. He then further bred these magnificent animals in large numbers.
"Complex - agassizii"
The group of these very attractive dwarf cichlids includes A. agassizii, A. bitaeniata, A. elizabethae, A. gephyra, and A. paucisquamis. Males reach about 6 cm, females are smaller, as is usual with dwarf cichlids. They reach up to 3.5 cm in length. The fish has two color forms, red-blue and gray-yellow.
Origin
The fish were first caught in 1967 by the former King of Belgium Leopold III and the Belgian ichthyologist Dr. J. P.GOSSE in the Rio Uaupés basin. KULLANDER named them in 1980 after the second wife of Prof. Louis R. AGASSIZ, thus also wanting to express the similarity to Apistogramma agassizi. The water in all areas where the fish were found is extremely acidic and soft. The conductivity there was measured at 10 μS/cm, pH 4.7, temperature 26 °C. The bottom consists of fine, light sand. The fish live there near the shore, where there are a lot of fallen leaves.
Keeping
It is no problem for the average experienced aquarist to keep the fish in a species-appropriate manner. We keep them in soft and slightly acidic water. The food, mainly live food, should not be too rich, rather "lean" and with a lot of roughage. Plankton is ideal, occasionally also larvae of mosquitoes and other insects.
A medium-sized aquarium (60-100 l) must offer sufficient hiding places. We create these from flower pots or various ceramic tubes and a number of smaller plants (Microsorum, Taxiphyllum or Cryptocoryne spp.). The filtration should not cause too strong a water current. It is good to have shady places in the aquarium where the fish can calm down.
Breeding
Like all members of the genus Apistogramma, Agassiz's dwarf cichlids also spawn in a cave. For this we use "neon water" with a slight addition of peat. The temperature should be around 25-26 °C. The number of eggs is usually around 60. For an older female in good condition, it can be around 100. Rearing is similar to other South American dwarf cichlids.
Pictures:
- Adult male.
- Interesting red form of A. elizabethae.
- The male guards his territory very carefully, especially the place of future spawning grounds.
- Adult female of A. elizabethae.
- Ideal companions in the aquarium are pencilfish of the genus Nannostomus.
- The female guards the cave in which she has the clutch very carefully.
- Pencilfish in the vicinity of the cave are constantly on the lookout for an opportunity to grab eggs or small fry.
- Radek Winkler introduced the use of plastic tubes for spawning dwarf cichlids in our country. They are very practical to maintain.
- Typically furnished rearing tank with juveniles.
