Photo: Daiju Azuma, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Three-striped dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma trifasciata
5.5 cm
Adult size
50 L
Minimum volume
2
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Apistogramma
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- pair
In the wild
Overview
Its species name refers to its three dark bands. Described from Paraguay in 1903, it carries the codes A204 to A206 in the DATZ system depending on the population; the Rio Guaporé population comes in red and blue forms that live together in the wild.
- Scientific name
- Apistogramma trifasciata (Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1903)
- Classification
- Cichliformes › Cichlidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Guaporé basin (southern Amazonia), Paraguay and middle Paraná basins (Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in slow creeks, tributaries and small rivers, especially where leaf litter piles up.
Behaviour
Unlike many Apistogramma, both parents care for the eggs, laid on the ceiling of a cave, and for the larvae: keep it as a pair. It suits peaceful tanks, with small midwater fish and no other Apistogramma. Mostly carnivorous, it needs live or frozen prey and water free of organic waste.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth