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Apistogramma Macmasteri
Apistogramma macmasteri
Typical trade / ID note: Apistogramma macmasteri
Also known as: macmaster's apisto, red-line apisto, Macmaster's apisto, Red-line apisto
Fishori provides conservative planning guidance, not guarantees.
Based on multiple reputable aquarium care sources with strong agreement. Use the numbers here as planning defaults — your room, water, and routine still shape real-world outcomes.
Colourful, classic apisto. Demands soft warm acidic water and one pair per tank. Pick borellii first if your tap is hard.
Best for
Soft warm-water planted tanks 100L or more for experienced cichlid keepers wanting breeding colour and spawning behaviour.
Avoid if
Hard alkaline tap water, tanks under 80L, or any other bottom-territory cichlid in the same tank.
Top things that go wrong
- Shrimp & snails. Shrimp: depends on the individual fish. Some leave them alone, others hunt cherry shrimp down within a week of meeting them.
Common mistakeA male-only purchase for colour without the breeding dynamic. A male without a female is chronically stressed and duller than a bonded fish.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Keeping with German blue rams 'because they look similar'. Both are dwarf cichlids and the macmasteri usually wins. The ram dies of stress within weeks.
- 2.Bare 60L with no cover. The pair never bonds because there is no defensible territory; the male eventually pins the female into the filter intake.
- 3.Pick this apisto for the colour, not for the ease. A pair wants 100L with cover lines and warm soft water. Tap with TDS over 250 stresses adults within months. Most successful keepers run RO blended down to a target.
About this species
Macmasteri males show a red band along the dorsal and tail edges that intensifies in display. The species comes from the Meta basin in Colombia and wants warm acidic water (5.5 to 7.0 pH, 24 to 29 C). A larger dwarf cichlid than borellii or agassizii, with a stronger territorial drive at spawning.
- Checkerboard cichlid100L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogramma100L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Kribensis100L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Bolivian Ram110L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- 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
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlidalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- American Flagfishalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Angelfishalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Borelliialso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Trifasciataalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogrammaalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
No reverse lookups on file yet.
Plan grid
Key limits are shown above; this section adds planning detail: pH band, swim level, bioload and activity, and the radar.
Swim zones
Planning trait chart
Six indices for comparing species on paper before you spend.
- Beginner ease38
- Peacefulness44
- Community fit36
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness54
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Common setup sketches
Conservative patterns from Fishori fields — still run the pair checker for every species you add; sketches are not a stocking guarantee.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Apistogramma Macmasteri belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Tank mate intelligence
Use the "Often compatible" lists as a shortlist, not a stocking plan. Always run the pair tool and check the footprint of your actual tank first. Verify behaviour for Apistogramma Macmasteri against your own reading before you buy.
Pair-level compatibility with this fish as anchor.
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Apistogramma Macmasteri + Cardinal Tetra
Behaviour, temperament, and what to watch
Prose and lists come from the same record: read temperament first, then glass-level signals so you are not surprised after day three.
Apistogramma Macmasteri is semi-aggressive: stable in a calm tank, pushy with weaker fish when stressed or crowded. Holds territory on substrate, in caves, or at the surface film. Break the sight lines with hardscape to keep the resident off the visitor.
Stress / aggression triggers on file
- spawning site
- rival dwarf cichlids
- fry defence
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper, but individuals can still test fins under stress or in a crowded tank.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly-sized community fish. The usual community caveats about mouth size still apply for very small fry or shrimp.
Territory: Holds territory on substrate, in caves, or at the surface film. Break the line of sight with hardscape, and avoid placing the tank where the fish can see its own reflection.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Moderate pacing — not hyperactive, not motionless.
- Clamped fins, gasping at the surface, hiding non-stop, or refusing food after the first week.
- Rapid breathing when parameters swing — fix ammonia/nitrite first, then reassess mates.
- Chasing one individual repeatedly, torn fins on tank mates, or food theft every feed.
- Corner guarding, flaring, or body-blocking — territory is normal until it becomes relentless.
- Separate or rehome if injuries appear, one fish is pinned, or feeding becomes a daily chase.
- If water is stable but behaviour worsens, reduce stocking or remove the highest-impact species first.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Care parameters: water, food, inverts, grouping
Chemistry and group rules sit here so you are not re-reading the same line from tank mate or temperament blocks. Swim level is in the plan grid above.
Hardness
soft
Diet
carnivore
Small invertebrates, frozen bloodworm or daphnia, and protein-rich prepared foods. Rotate the menu and feed by appetite rather than by clock.
Shrimp & snails
Shrimp: depends on the individual fish. Some leave them alone, others hunt cherry shrimp down within a week of meeting them.
One pair per tank under 200L. Harem arrangements (one male, three females) need 120L or more with caves in opposite ends.
Breeding behaviour depends on the species. Research before you buy a mixed-sex group of this fish.
- 100L tank with at least 80 cm of length and broken sightlines (driftwood, plant clumps, cave clusters).
- Soft acidic water (pH 5.5 to 7.0, soft hardness). Hard tap stresses adults and prevents spawning.
- Live or frozen food rotation; macmasteri will accept pellets but breeds reliably only with worms and brine shrimp.
- Acceptance that one pair per tank is the rule. No other dwarf cichlids in the same volume.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 100L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 24–29°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
Explore and stocking hubs
Same library as the rest of Fishori: tank-mate index for this species, category peers, guides, and litre-based stocking lists where min tank on file is within the hub volume.
Plan with tools
Pair-level rules and multi-fish stocking use the same conservative engine — add this fish in the tank builder only after mates pass pair checks.
Filtration & heating
A 100L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 400L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–29°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Apistogramma Macmasteri does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 24–29°C and pH 5.5–7:
Profile status: partially verified · Evidence tier: high · 2 linked source(s). Fishori does not fabricate citations.
Fishori uses conservative planning rules based on these sources.
Confidence is explained in the summary at the top of this page (same tier as here), not repeated below.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Apistogramma macmasteri
Primary: species page covering Meta basin habitat, soft acidic water requirement, and the strong territorial behaviour at spawning sites.
- Practical Fishkeeping. Macmaster's Apistogramma
Secondary: editor coverage of colour variants (gold, red-mask) and the strong line-breeding of the species in the hobby.
Evidence notes
- Macmasteri is one of the more colour-stable apistos in the hobby. Tank-bred specimens hold the red line well and a bonded pair can spawn monthly in good conditions.
- Aggression at spawning is notable even by apisto standards. A spawning female will chase tank mates two or three times her size away from the cave, including the male between broods.
- Fishori profiles work from typical aquarium trade sizes and hobby care norms. Specialist site checks and literature review for this species are not yet recorded here, so the ranges on this page are planning numbers rather than guarantees.