Strawberry

About

Found in the Rio Pintuyacu, a blackwater tributary of the Rio Itaya in Peru, this obscure dwarf cichlid, Apistogramma eremnopyge, circulated in the hobby for years under a string of trade names including 'strawberry', 'red beard', and 'barbaroja' before receiving a formal redescription. It belongs to the A. bitaeniata group and can be told apart from similar Apistogramma by a dark blotch sitting on the lower caudal peduncle in both sexes, combined with a narrow lateral stripe and the absence of a lateral spot. Despite being listed as beginner-friendly for a dwarf cichlid, its social dynamics deserve attention. Pairs can be tricky. Males tend to harass females unless distracted by other conspecifics nearby, so the recommended approach is a harem-style group with several females per male in a roomy setup, perhaps supplemented by small pencilfish as dither fish. Other Apistogramma species are best kept out of the picture entirely. Breeding follows the typical Apistogramma pattern: a secretive cavity spawn at dawn or in darkness, after which the female takes sole charge of the eggs and fry while the male defends his broader territory. Fry are exceptionally small at first and need microscopic foods before they can graduate to baby brine shrimp. Like many in the genus, this species comes from soft, acidic water and should be kept accordingly.