Being a long time cichlid fanatic I was thrilled to return home one evening from an aquarium society meeting with a bag of Apistogramma nijsseni . There were five fry in the bag which were bred by a fellow hobbyist. I have successfully bred and maintained several other species of the genus but this was my first attempt at the beautiful nijsseni.
The new arrivals were soon placed in a forty gallon breeder tank I was currently using to grow plants. I placed various types of cave-like dwellings in different areas around the tank. The caves along with the dense vegetation growth provided the new inhabitants plenty of security while settling in. To my delight the next morning they were swimming around happily in their new home. The tank was also home to a school of juvenile Corydoras elegans and a family of rummy-nosed tetras, Hemigrammus bleheri . This combination of tankmates along with the flourishing plants and darkish fine gravel that covered the bottom made this tank a sight to behold.
Aquarium
An Aquaclear power filter maintained the water quality with a prefilter helping on the intake tube. I also had a large sponge filter lending a hand. I’d rather have a sponge filter at the end of the airline than an airstone, it just makes more sense to me. A Hagen plant bulb supplied the lighting and the tank was placed in a very well lit room. A thirty- percent water change was done once a week. The water flows out of my tap at a fairly soft rate so it is easy for me to maintain conditions that are suitable for South American Cichlids. Adding a small amount of filtered rainwater into the tank mixed with my tap water aided in keeping the tank at a soft enough level to keep the inhabitants happy. The pH was kept around 5.8 to 6.0, the temperature was held at 79 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Feeding
The dwarf cichlids were fed a variety of foods such as frozen mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, bloodworms and a mixture of dry flake foods. All the inhabitants were tank raised and did not mind the flake food being served from time to time. Feeding the apistos was not a problem at all. They relished anything edible that was in front of them. In my opinion a good varied diet and proper water quality is the key to successfully raising aquarium fish. A varied diet aids in growth, color, breeding conditioning, and longevity.
As the nijsseni started to mature their adult colors started to become vibrant. The males sport a light blue body with a yellow coloration in the lower belly region. Jet black pectorals highlighted with bright yellow tips. This species has a nice round caudal fin with a bright red ring bordering the outside. The females hold a beautiful bright yellowish coloration with a dark black blotch on the operculum and on the mid body. The pectorals being a deep black like the males with an orange coloration at the tips. The female also possesses the red ring in the caudal fin but was only noticeable when she was guarding fry.
Breeding Apistogramma nijsseni
I approximated the dwarfs being about nine months old when I first noticed fry in the tank. As I went to do a water change one day I noticed the proud mom swimming with her small brood. The enclosure she was in was a small ceramic cave in the rear of the tank. Due to the surrounding heavy vegetation I did not realize a spawn had taken place. I’m glad there was enough room in the tank for the others to give her space. As with most apisto females they could get nasty guarding their young. I removed eight small free swimming fry from the large tank and put them in a ten gallon tank of their own. Unfortunately only three survived. I thinned out a lot of the plant life around her dwelling to give me a birds eye view of the next spawning event. Also most of the other tenants were removed as well. I took about another month but the second spawn (at least that I know of) was in the works. The opening was to small for me to take a count of the eggs but at least I knew there was more than eight. When the fry became free swimming I had thirty-six new additions to the family. This time around I let the parents raise the young for a while before they were removed. It’s a wonderful sight to watch cichlids parent their young. All in all I ended up with twenty-four viable fry. The youngsters were fed newly hatched brine shrimp along with prepared fine powdered foods. As they started to grow mosquito larvae was also added to their diet.
In conclusion I would say the A. nijsseni is one of the most enjoyable fishes I have ever raised. Whether you’re a fan of dwarf cichlids or not I would recommend giving this little beauty a try.
Author: Ed Katuska; Wet Pet Gazette
Source: Aquarticles.com (no longer available)
