Viejita dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma viejita
moderatesemi aggressivebottom swimmerCichlidae
- Adult size
- 5 cm2 in
- Start with
- 1
- Tank length
- 20 cm8 in
- Lifespan
- 3–5 yrs
- Temperature
- 24–29 °C75–84 °F
- pH
- 5.5–7
- Hardness
- 1–15 dGH
- Diet
- carnivore
Wild forms want soft acidic water; one male per tank unless there is plenty of floor space.Wild forms want soft acidic water; one male per tank unless there is plenty of floor space.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- Acei cichlid
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Ajamaru rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Angfa rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Arfak rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Batanta rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Blue rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Brevis shell dweller
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Caudopunctatus
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Corona rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Grime rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Irian Jaya rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Japen rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Sources
| temperature | 24–29 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
|---|---|---|
| ph | 5.5–7 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| gh | 1–15 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| origin | Río Meta basin, Colombia | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| notes | Wild forms want soft acidic water; one male per tank unless there is plenty of f | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| beginner friendly | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| color palette | #B8B0A0, #D04A3A, #3A5A8A | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| activity | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| swim zone | bottom | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| temperament | semi-aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| fin nipper | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| long finned | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| territorial | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling min | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| diet | carnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| lifespan years | 3–5 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| growth to adult months | 8 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| length weight | {"a":0.016,"b":3} | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| planted safe | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| body shape | cichlid | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |