Quick Facts
- Scientific name: Apistogramma agassizii
- Common name: Agassizi's Dwarf Cichlid
- Origin: Amazon and Solimões river basin, from Peru through to Brazil
- Adult size: Males up to around 7.5cm; females noticeably smaller, around 5cm
- Temperature: 22 to 29°C
- pH: Soft and acidic. Aquarium-raised fish generally do well around pH 6.5 to 7
- Hardness: Low, under 10 dGH
- Diet: Omnivorous, feeding on small invertebrates in the wild; needs a genuinely mixed diet in the aquarium
- Temperament: Generally peaceful, but males can be territorial with one another
- Experience level: Not one for complete beginners
Not a Wild-Type Fish: What "Blue Flame"
Actually Means
It's worth being upfront about this. "Blue Flame" isn't a scientific subspecies or a wild population, it's a selectively bred colour strain, the same way the hobby has bred and named forms like Double Red, Fire Gold, or Tefe Blue. Our current batch came from a specialist breeder in the Czech Republic, a country with a strong tradition of careful, selective Apistogramma breeding.
The name describes the males well: strong blue body colour with red running through the tail. Females look much closer to standard Agassizi colouring, so if you're buying for that striking blue and red look, it's really the males doing the work.
Where They Come From in the Wild
Apistogramma agassizii is native to the Amazon and Solimões river basin, ranging from Peru through to Brazil. In the wild, they tend to live in slower-moving tributaries, backwaters and creeks, often in areas where fallen leaves collect on the riverbed and stain the water with tannins.
Wild populations live in conditions far softer and more acidic than most home aquariums ever replicate. Fish that have been captive-bred for generations, like this batch, are considerably less demanding than that. They still need genuinely soft, slightly acidic water to thrive rather than just survive, but you don't need to try to recreate the extremes of their native blackwater to keep them well.
Setting Up for Them
We'd recommend a minimum of 80 litres, more if you're planning to add other fish, giving them room to establish territory without constant conflict. Water should be soft and on the acidic side. As a reference point, our own display tank is currently running pH 6.5 to 7 with general hardness under 10 dGH, right in the range that works well for aquarium-raised Agassizi.
We keep ours with botanicals, leaf litter and seed pods in the tank, which lightly tints the water. It's a nice way to bring a bit of their natural habitat into the setup, and many keepers find their fish do best with some version of this rather than a bare, clinical-looking tank.
None of this is a "set up once and forget it" fish. Regular water testing and a consistent maintenance routine matter more here than with a lot of community species.
What We're Seeing With This Batch
They settled in straight away and were feeding on both dry and frozen food within a day, a good sign for a batch this young. They came through our standard quarantine period without needing any treatment, which tells us something about the quality of the stock coming from this breeder.
They're currently housed together as a mixed group of males and females, with no other species sharing the tank at the moment. Sexing is obvious even at this age. The males have been sparring occasionally, working out dominance between themselves, which is normal behaviour for this species rather than a cause for concern. A couple of pairs are starting to look like they're forming, though we haven't seen any spawning yet.
Tank Mates
This is probably the question we get asked most. Customers see the colour and want to drop them straight into an established community tank. That can work, but it depends on tank size and, just as importantly, on water parameters and what else is already in there. Colour alone isn't a good enough reason to assume compatibility.
For now, we're keeping this batch on their own to let them settle in and pair up properly. If you're thinking about adding Blue Flames to an existing setup, it's worth coming in and talking it through with us so we can look at your specific tank rather than guess.
Feeding
This isn't a fish you can keep on flake alone. A quality staple granule works fine as a base, but not as the whole diet. They need regular live food and frozen food too, they're omnivores, and that variety matters, particularly if you're hoping to condition them for breeding.
Breeding
Apistogramma agassizii are cave spawners, laying eggs in crevices and cavities, with the female taking on most of the post-spawning care. In our experience, caves work well for encouraging this. Feed them well on live and frozen food to bring them into good condition, then a decent water change is often what triggers spawning.
We've bred various Apistogramma species over the years, so this is familiar territory for us. This particular batch hasn't spawned yet, but the pairing behaviour we're seeing is a promising early sign.
Mistakes We See Most Often
Not getting the water right from the start. Trying to keep these fish in harder, more neutral water because "it's easier" tends to end in fish that survive rather than thrive. Get the parameters right before you buy, not after.
Feeding flake and expecting them to do well. They need more than that. A proper mixed diet with live and frozen food isn't optional here.
Assuming bright colour means an easy community fish. It doesn't automatically follow. Tank size, water chemistry and existing tank mates all matter more than how striking the fish looks in the shop.
Our Honest Verdict
This isn't a beginner's fish. It suits someone wanting a more specialist project, ideally a biotope-style setup, or a larger, well-established community tank where the water parameters are already right and you're comfortable with regular testing and maintenance. If that's you, it's a genuinely rewarding little fish to keep.
Before You Make a Special Trip
Stock changes regularly in the shop, particularly with a specific colour strain like this one. Before travelling to see them, check our current tropical fish stock list so you know what's actually available.
Come and See Them
We're at Byrkley Garden Centre, Rangemore, Burton on Trent. Come in, have a look at the current group, and we're happy to talk through whether this is the right fish for your setup.
Byrkley Aquatics & Aquascaping, inside Byrkley Garden Centre, Rangemore, Burton on Trent. Established 1987.