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Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma agassizii
Also known as: agassiz cichlid, agassizi dwarf cichlid, a. agassizii
A small apistogramma at 5 cm that needs soft warm blackwater and a harem setup similar to other dwarf cichlids.
Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid tank mates · 80L tank size hub
semi-aggressive · intermediate care
Sources & confidencehigh · partially verified · beginner: caution
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Soft blackwater planted tanks 80L or more at 27–30 °C with one male and two or three females in separate cave areas.
Avoid if: Hard tap water, temperatures below 25 °C, or any other cichlid in the same territory zone.
Common mistakeKeeping Agassiz’s cichlid in hard neutral cool community water is how keepers invent washed-out, irritable fish that never show. Soften, warm, and plant the tank for a dwarf cichlid — or skip the species entirely. Standard livebearer defaults are the wrong template for Apistogramma agassizii and waste months of waiting.
Top things that go wrong
- Fin-nipping risk in typical community layouts. Will nip long fins or slow fish when the school is too small, bored, or kept in a short tank.
- Mouth gap vs tiny tank mates. May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
- Shrimp & snails. Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: Agassiz’s dwarf cichlids thrive in any standard hard community tank as hardy beginner cichlids for mixed stock. Reality: they need softer warmer water, caves, and respectful neighbours — hard cool defaults leave them pale, stressed, and corner-aggressive without warning.
- 2.Predation risk scales with gape, night feeding, and crowding. 'they grew up together' is a schedule, not a law.
- 3.A male and three females in a 40L breeder with no female refuges. Harassment runs one female into the corner inside a week.
- 4.Bought into extremely hard tap water. Most apisto imports sicken inside a fortnight before colour even shows.
- 5.Many colour lines exist. A wild import from a soft blackwater stream will not drop into a hard guppy community without an RO blend and a slow transition.
About this species
Apistogramma agassizii is the widest-traded apisto, sold as clearwater, blackwater, and tank-bred colour lines. A male holds a harem of two or three females across cave-and-rock cover in soft warm water. The 40L breeder single-pair set-up fails when the female has no refuge.
- Apistogramma Borellii80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Apistogramma Trifasciata80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- German Blue Ram80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Apistogramma Macmasteri100L min · same group, similar adult size
- Checkerboard cichlid100L min · same group, similar adult size
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogramma100L min · same group, similar adult size
- Kribensis100L min · same fish family
- Bolivian Ram110L min · same group, similar adult size
- American Flagfishalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Borelliialso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Macmasterialso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Trifasciataalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogrammaalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Golden Wonder Killifishalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
No reverse lookups listed yet.
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease38
- Peacefulness8
- Community fit0
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness54
- Energy24
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid
No unconditional “safe” tank mates are listed for Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid — this shortlist has CAUTION pairings that need specific conditions and RISKY pairings to avoid. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Angelfish, Betta, Chili Rasbora, Corydoras Catfish, Dwarf Gourami. Avoid (RISKY): African Cichlid, Bala / silver shark, Jaguar cichlid. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
None listed. Use the pair checker before mixing.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
No safe-mate list on this record yet. Use the fish index to find species with similar care, then run a pair check before you buy.
Behaviour and temperament
Agassiz’s dwarf cichlids are semi-aggressive territory holders that stay calmer as pairs or harems with broken sight lines and caves. Males defend nest sites and may harass dither when crowded. Stress and injury rise when hard cool community fish share a short bare tank with nowhere to hide.
What sets them off
- Small groups or boredom
- Long-finned or slow tank mates
- Bare tanks without structure
Fin nipping: Will nip long fins or slow fish when the school is too small, bored, or kept in a short tank.
Predation: May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
Territory: Holds a patch (cave, corner, or surface). Break sight lines so neighbours can pass.
Planted tanks: good — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- A male holds a cave and flashes colour when softish water and cover feel secure.
- Short displays toward dither are normal ownership in a correct dwarf setup.
- Washed-out colour in hard cool water usually means chemistry first.
- Nonstop corner attacks in a short bare tank mean footprint and cover failed.
- Males defend nest sites and may bully weaker fish in tight quarters.
- Peaceful soft-bodied fish can still be harassed during spawn defence.
- Add caves and plant breaks before rehoming a 'mean' Agassiz.
- Do not add hard-water livebearers to 'cheer up' an Apistogramma tank.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
soft
Diet
carnivore
Agassiz’s dwarf cichlids are carnivore-leaning feeders that need frozen and live foods plus quality micro-pellets — not a community flake pinch alone. Offer small portions they finish under dimmer soft-water cover, and keep competing midwater fish from stealing every feed. Thin colourless adults usually mean diet and chemistry failed together, not a bad strain from the shop.
Shrimp & snails
Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid is fine singly or as a researched pair — check behaviour before doubling up.
- Hold 24 to 30 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 5 to 6.5 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 80L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 24–30°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- No known fin-nippers paired with long-finned fish unless you accept documented risk.
- No tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth gap for this species.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 80L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 320L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–30°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 24–30°C and pH 5–6.5:
Research: partially verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Apistogramma agassizii
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Apistogramma agassizii
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Apistogramma agassizii
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Common questions about Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid
- How big do Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid get?
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid adults reach about 5 cm. Shop fish look smaller; stock for the adult length.
- What size tank does Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid need?
- 80L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload. A 98L+ tank is the more comfortable long-term footprint. Length and depth matter as much as raw litres for active or territorial fish.
- Are Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid aggressive?
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlids are semi-aggressive territory holders that stay calmer as pairs or harems with broken sight lines and caves. Males defend nest sites and may harass dither when crowded. Stress and injury rise when hard cool community fish share a short bare tank with nowhere to hide.
- What is the most common mistake with Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid?
- Keeping Agassiz’s cichlid in hard neutral cool community water is how keepers invent washed-out, irritable fish that never show. Soften, warm, and plant the tank for a dwarf cichlid — or skip the species entirely. Standard livebearer defaults are the wrong template for Apistogramma agassizii and waste months of waiting.
- What fish can live with Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid?
- This profile currently has no curated unconditional safe-mates shortlist for Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid. Other species may still return GOOD in the pair checker, so check the exact pair rather than treating this shortlist as exhaustive. Angelfish, Betta, Chili Rasbora, Corydoras Catfish are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Avoid African Cichlid, Bala / silver shark, Jaguar cichlid (RISKY). Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.