Dwarf Cichlids

Rams and apistos for tanks where a full-size cichlid would be a bully in a phone booth. Mikrogeophagus ramirezi turns up here in blue, gold, electric blue and black; the Bolivian ram (M. altispinosus) is the tougher, longer-lived cousin and the one I hand most beginners. The Apistogramma — agassizii, viejita, personata — are for keepers who want pair behaviour, and most of the group is also stocked lightly medicated.

The badis here — Dario dario and Badis badis — are not cichlids at all; they are grouped in because they behave like them and eat like them, live or frozen rather than flake. German blue rams want water most community tanks are not running: low 80s Fahrenheit, soft, and clean. If yours sits at 76°F, buy the Bolivian instead.