Quick Stats
| Genus Size | ~100 described species; males 5–9 cm |
| Minimum Tank | 20 gal per harem/species pair |
| Temperature | 24–28°C (species-dependent) |
| pH Range | 4.5–7.5 (species-dependent) |
| Hardness (GH) | 1–15 dGH (species-dependent) |
| Difficulty | Medium (species-dependent) |
| Temperament | Peaceful toward midwater fish; territorial at the floor |
| Diet | Carnivore — frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, micro pellets |
| Social | 1 male + 2–3 females per territory (harem) |
What Apistogramma Are
Apistogramma is a genus of small cichlids native to South America east of the Andes — the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guiana shield drainages — with around a hundred described species and a steady stream of new descriptions each year; the true count including undescribed forms runs far higher. They are the archetypal "dwarf cichlids": males of most species top out between 5 and 9 cm (a few giants reach 9–10), females stay smaller, and the entire genus trades the aggression of large cichlids for colour, pattern, and behaviour that fits a 20-gallon tank.
What unites the genus is a life strategy rather than a water-chemistry signature: apistos live in leaf-litter zones, shallow forest streams, and stream margins; they claim small floor territories; males display with extended fins and body-flattening while females guard caves; and nearly all are harem spawners — one male overlapping the territories of two or three females. Sexual dimorphism is extreme: males are bigger, longer-finned, and gaudier in nearly every species in the trade.
What does NOT unite the genus is care requirements — and this matters enough to state twice. "Apistogramma care" articles that prescribe one parameter set for ninety-plus species are wrong by definition. The species the hobby keeps range from soft-water extremists (hongsloi, agassizii) to tap-water-tolerant generalists (cacatuoides, borellii to a degree), from heat-lovers to cool-water exceptions, from placid to territorial. Choosing the right species IS apistogramma husbandry — the rest is consistent dwarf-cichlid practice.
Choosing Your Species
This site maintains full profiles for six of the most-kept species, and they map the genus's practical range well. Start from your water, not from the prettiest photo: your tap hardness and pH decide which species are easy and which are uphill battles.
The tap-water-friendly group: A. cacatuoides (the beginner apisto — tolerant of pH 6.5–7.5, commercially bred in huge numbers, big personality) and A. macmasteri (the forgiving Colombian species that stays colourful even in harder water). A. borellii deserves its reputation as the genus's cool-tolerant exception — it handles lower temperatures and mediocre water better than any other apisto, at the cost of subtler colours.
The soft-water group: A. agassizii (the classic tailed apisto — wants genuinely soft, acidic water to thrive and show its red-and-gold dress), A. hongsloi (the red apisto — the most water-demanding of the six, happiest in RO-softened, tannin-tinted tanks), and A. trifasciata (the three-striped apisto — mid-level demands but the most territorial male of the six; give him sight-line breaks). If your tap water is hard, the first group is the difference between thriving apistos and fading ones.
General Care Patterns
Whatever species you choose, the dwarf-cichlid template holds: a 20-gallon-long or bigger tank per male-plus-harem, soft to moderately hard water per the species profile, 24–28°C, gentle flow, dim light, and — the signature — a cave for every female. Coconut shells, half flowerpots, and stacked slate all work; the cave is not decoration, it is the female's refuge and spawning chamber, and a female without one is a stressed fish. Outside their territories, apistos are peaceful mid-and-bottom citizens that ignore the upper water completely.
Stocking follows the harem rule: one male with two to three females in a 20-gallon-plus species tank (multiple males need 40 gallons-plus and broken sight lines), or a single pair in a peaceful community of tetras and corys that share its water. Dither fish — small schooling tetras that cruise the midwater — genuinely help: apistos read calm dithers as proof no predators are near and spend more time out in the open. The species-level tank mate details live in each profile and in the Apistogramma care guide, which covers the full husbandry deep-dive: water chemistry, harem dynamics, conditioning, and spawning.
The genus's care caveat bears repeating in practice: never assume a species matches another's requirements. A hongsloi keeper's RO routine is wasted (and stressful) for tank-bred cacatuoides; a cacatuoides keeper's tap-water routine would slowly fail hongsloi. Cross-check every parameter against the individual species profile before buying — that is the entire reason this page links each one.
Health & Breeding Notes
Genus-wide, apistos are sturdy little fish when water matches the species, and fragile when it does not — the "apistogramma died for no reason" thread is almost always a species-water mismatch discovered late. The common conditions are the standard dwarf-cichlid set: ich after transport, bacterial damage from territorial fights, and the internal flagellates that follow stress; the nano cichlid hub covers diagnosis and treatment in detail.
Breeding is genus-consistent with species-level tuning: cave spawning, harem structure, female-only brood care (the male guards the territory perimeter), 40–80 eggs per spawn, and wrigglers moved to pits before free-swimming. Some species (cacatuoides, macmasteri) breed readily in ordinary soft water; others (hongsloi, wild agassizii) demand RO, tannins, and patience. Fry take baby brine shrimp from free-swimming in every species.
For anything past this overview — the parameter tables per species, the conditioning routines, the harem-sexing guides — the two documents that matter are the Apistogramma care guide (husbandry deep-dive) and the individual species profiles linked above. Choose the species first, and the rest of the genus falls into place around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Apistogramma species are there?
Around a hundred described species, with new ones formally described every year and many more known in the hobby as "Apistogramma sp." trade forms awaiting description. Only a dozen or so dominate the aquarium trade, and this site keeps full profiles for six of them: cacatuoides, macmasteri, borellii, agassizii, hongsloi, and trifasciata.
Do all Apistogramma need the same water?
No — and this is the most important fact about the genus. The commonly kept species range from tap-water-tolerant (cacatuoides, macmasteri) to soft-water-demanding (agassizii, hongsloi), with borellii as the cool-water exception. Treating "apistogramma care" as one recipe fails the demanding species and over-engineers things for the easy ones. Check the individual species profile before buying — the profile, not the genus, sets the water.
Can I keep different Apistogramma species together?
It is possible in 40-gallon-plus tanks with separate territories and broken sight lines, but it is not recommended. Apistos of different species hybridise freely — a real risk for a genus with so many undescribed forms — and males of any species treat other dwarf cichlids on "their" floor as rivals. The cleaner approach is one species per tank, one male plus two to three females.
Which Apistogramma should a beginner start with?
Captive-bred Apistogramma cacatuoides — the species the database card of this genus entry links to for a reason in the trade — or A. macmasteri if you want similar tolerance with different colours. Both accept ordinary dechlorinated tap water in the neutral-to-slightly-acid range, both are commercially bred (which means hardy, adapted stock), and both forgive the early mistakes that wild-caught hongsloi or agassizii do not. Start there, then explore the softer-water species once your water management is proven.