Dwarf Cichlids

United by small size and manageable levels of aggression, these fun-size cichlids are found in a range of tropical regions such as West Africa and Amazonia.

Although small, they display all the character and territoriality of their larger cousins but in a more convenient package. This means that tankmates need to be able to escape the territorial rage of spawning pairs, but this is easier to accommodate in the confines of the average home aquarium. As these fishes can be shy without the reassuring presence of ‘dither fish’ such as shoaling tetras to signal that the area is free of predators, it’s best to provide plenty of hiding places and generous planting to break the sightlines. This allows them to escape out of sight when parental fish are on the warpath. Depending on the species, these fishes can be haremic or monogamous and keeping multiple females in a large tank with a single male is a fascinating way to get the most out of fishes such as Apistogramma. It also provides respite for males of Nannacara, which often get a very hard time from their females when they’re protecting eggs or fry.

With a preference for soft water and leaf litter, these fish are ideally suited to planted or biotope aquaria where the odd bit of discrete digging is generally the extent of their impact on the aquascape.