Should I buy it?
Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara)
Nannacara anomala
Also known as: nannacara, golden nannacara, dwarf cichlid (nannacara, not apistogramma)
A very small dwarf cichlid at 4 cm. Males develop gold-and-turquoise colouring at breeding condition. Peaceful outside spawning but defends a small cave site.
Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) tank mates · 60L tank size hub
peaceful · 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: Planted community tanks 50L or more with sand caves and small peaceful companions.
Avoid if: You keep cherry shrimp or nano shrimp. Nannacara hunt them during spawning cycles.
Common mistakeExpecting nannacara to stay completely peaceful through spawning is how keepers invent a surprise cave war. A breeding pair will defend against tank mates much larger than themselves. Plan cover, soft water, and a rehome path for aggression spikes — not a finished nano community with no caves.
Top things that go wrong
- 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: nannacara are permanently peaceful nano community cichlids for any planted community tank. Reality: they need soft acidic water and become surprisingly territorial when breeding — peaceful on the shop label is not spawn-proof in a short cave-filled nano aquarium.
- 2.Predation risk scales with gape, night feeding, and crowding. 'they grew up together' is a schedule, not a law.
- 3.Classed peaceful for similar-sized community use. Still a bite-sized risk toward fry or very small comm fish in small volumes.
- 4.A single feature cichlid in a 20L. The fish stays stunted and pale for the year it lives.
- 5.Dropped into hard alkaline tap under bright light with no transition. The wild form withers inside a fortnight.
- 6.Care is not interchangeable with Apistogramma: temperature and pH overlap but differ. Re-run pair compatibility before mixing with an existing dwarf cichlid line.
About this species
Nannacara anomala are Guianese dwarf cichlids that hold a single corner per pair. A breeding male flashes black and gold over a cave. Outside breeding he sits half-hidden among leaves. Soft warm tannin water with cave structure beats a bright bare aquascape.
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid80L min · same group, similar adult size
- Apistogramma Borellii80L min · same group, similar adult size
- Apistogramma Trifasciata80L min · same group, similar adult size
- German Blue Ram80L min · same group, similar adult 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
- Adolfoi coryalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Bamboo Shrimpalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Cardinal Tetraalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Celebes Rainbowfishalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Celestial Pearl Danioalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Chili Rasboraalso intermediate peaceful, 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
- Peacefulness68
- Community fit59
- 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.
Rough 90L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safer directions include: Chili Rasbora, Ember Tetra, Sparkling Gourami.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara)
Usually safer (engine GOOD): Chili Rasbora, Ember Tetra, Sparkling Gourami. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Corydoras Catfish, Neon Tetra, Pygmy Corydoras, Tiger Barb. Avoid (RISKY): African Cichlid, Bala / silver shark, Oscar. 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.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) + Chili Rasbora
Behaviour and temperament
Nannacara are generally peaceful dwarf cichlids that turn defensive when a pair claims a cave. They stay calmer toward midwater schoolers in soft water outside breeding. Stress and chasing rise hard during spawn defence if the tank is short on sight-line breaks.
What sets them off
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
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: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- A pair works leaf litter and caves in soft, warm planted water.
- Mild courtship and cave cleaning are normal ownership before fry appear.
- Sudden attacks on long-term neighbours usually mean spawn defence, not mystery rage.
- Faded colour in hard alkaline water is chemistry before brand of food.
- Breeding pairs will challenge much larger tank mates near the cave.
- Outside spawning they are usually calm with robust peaceful dither.
- Break sight lines or rehome dither if spawn defence will not settle.
- Move them out of hard-water livebearer plans that will not be rewritten.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
soft
Diet
omnivore
Nannacara are small omnivore dwarf cichlids that take fine pellets and frozen foods in soft acidic water. A hard-water community flake routine leaves them faded even when the bowl looks full. Offer small portions they can finish near caves, and keep chemistry in the soft, warm band they actually need.
Shrimp & snails
Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) 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 50L 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 50L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 200L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–30°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) 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. Nannacara anomala
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Nannacara anomala
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Nannacara anomala
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 Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara)
- How big do Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) get?
- Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) adults reach about 4 cm. Shop fish look smaller; stock for the adult length.
- What size tank does Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) need?
- 50L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload. A 61L+ tank is the more comfortable long-term footprint. Length and depth matter as much as raw litres for active or territorial fish.
- Are Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) aggressive?
- Nannacara are generally peaceful dwarf cichlids that turn defensive when a pair claims a cave. They stay calmer toward midwater schoolers in soft water outside breeding. Stress and chasing rise hard during spawn defence if the tank is short on sight-line breaks.
- What is the most common mistake with Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara)?
- Expecting nannacara to stay completely peaceful through spawning is how keepers invent a surprise cave war. A breeding pair will defend against tank mates much larger than themselves. Plan cover, soft water, and a rehome path for aggression spikes — not a finished nano community with no caves.
- What fish can live with Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara)?
- The Golden dwarf cichlid (Nannacara) profile lists Chili Rasbora, Ember Tetra, Sparkling Gourami among its safer pairings (engine-checked GOOD). Corydoras Catfish, Neon Tetra, Pygmy Corydoras, Tiger Barb are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Avoid African Cichlid, Bala / silver shark, Oscar (RISKY). Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.