Data sheet panda dwarf cichlid
German name:
Panda dwarf cichlid
Scientific name:
Apistogramma njisseni
Origin:
South America (Ucayali River)
Size:
Body length up to 8 cm
Aquarium
Length:
Length from 100 cm width
Contents:
from 80 liters
water values
Temperature:
24°-28° C
pH:
5.5 – 7.0
GH:
1° – 10° dH
Behave
Area:
lower and middle range
Lining:
mainly live food such as mosquito larvae, Cyclops, freshwater shrimp, small shrimp, Artemia, Tubifex, snails, worms, frozen food, fine granulated food
Behave:
peaceful, territorial, territorial behavior during the mating season
Number:
in pairs or as a group with at least 5 animals (several females)
Difficulty level:
Beginner Sascha Biedermann, composite by MidgleyDJ at en.wikipedia, Apistogramma nijsseni mf mirror, CC BY-SA 2.5
General information about Apistogramma nijsseni
Apistogramma njisseni will too Panda dwarf cichlids called. Females are yellow with a black spot on their pectoral fins. There is a black line over the eyes. The caudal fin is outlined in red.
Males are light gray with a yellow breast and dorsal fins. The caudal fin is slightly bluish and edged in red.
A. nijsseni belong to the same genus as dwarf cockatoo cichlids and have a similar body shape.
A. nijsseni look very similar to A. panduro and like them have a red border on the caudal fin.
Both species can be distinguished by the spot on the tail root. In A. panduro the spot is very pronounced. A. nijsseni is slightly lighter and more delicate. A. panduro is beefy.
A. nijsseni form large territories.
A. nijsseni have relatively large territorial claims. If a group of several males is to be kept, it is better to use a few more males so that the aggression is distributed. Of course, it is better to provide enough space. The diameter of the territories is about 40 centimeters around the spawning cave.
Apistogramma nijsseni male Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 2.5 Author: Sascha Biedermann
The males can be quite aggressive for their size and attack e.g. B. also much larger purple cichlids successfully.
1 male and 2 females can be kept in an 80 cm aquarium. But a larger aquarium is better. Otherwise, a female will often attack the other female, even if the tank is well structured. In any case, there must be a spawning cave for each female.
Depending on the temperament of the animals, 2 males and 3 females can be kept in a densely overgrown 80 cm tank.
A pair of A. nijsseni can cause a lot of trouble even in a 240 liter aquarium. Especially during the breeding season, they form territories around the spawning caves, from which other fish are driven out.
What A. nijsseni eat.
As with many Apistogramma, acclimating them to artificial food can be difficult.
A. nijsseni also eat 2 centimeter neon tetras and young guppies. Red mosquito larvae should not be fed.
Breeding tips
Because A. nijsseni are ceiling breeders, caves must be present in the aquarium. Flower pots, coconut shells and cavities formed from roots are suitable. If possible, the animals rebuild the caves according to their ideas. The interior is z. B. excavated and the entrance built over.
The water must be soft and acidic. The conductance should be between 80 and 120 µS. However, 150 µS are also tolerated. The pH should be around 6. The pH for breeding should be 5.5. At higher values, fewer young come through. Filtering through peat can be used to lower the pH.
If the pH value cannot be reduced that much for breeding, a UV clarifier can be useful. Possibly the germ pressure is the actual problem. The germ pressure can be reduced with acidic water, i.e. a low pH value, or with a UV clarifier.
After the larvae hatch, the UV clarifier is switched off so that the young become more resistant due to a moderate germ pressure.
The clutch is guarded by the female. The males only roughly defend the territory. The larvae hatch after about 48 hours. Depending on the water temperature, the young swim freely after 6 – 8 days. Freshly hatched Artemia are eaten immediately after swimming freely.
The female probably transfers the larvae one or more times. The sex distribution is highly dependent on temperature and pH.
In one case, the proportion of females was 80% in relatively cool water of around 22 °C. Even in the neutral temperature range between 25 and 26° sometimes only females hatch.
According to the Mergus cichlid atlas, low pH values and high temperatures lead to significantly higher proportions of males. Low temperatures and high pH levels result in high proportions of females. pH values between 4.5 and 6.5 appear to have little effect on the sex ratio in A. nijsseni.
Panda dwarf cichlids defending their territory:
Panda dwarf cichlids during courtship: