Taeniacara candidi

Taeniacara candidi lives in Amazon tributaries in Brazil from the lower Rio Negro to the Tapajós and is one of the slimmest, most elongated of all dwarf cichlids. The black stripe running along its body is its most distinctive marking; males are larger and more vividly patterned, while females have blue-spotted tails. It was formerly also known as Apistogramma weisei, and the position of the genus is still debated. It is sensitive to water parameters; after a water change it may sit sulking on the bottom for a while.

• At least 60 liters for a pair; plenty of hiding places and visual barriers.
• 27–29°C, pH 4.5–6, GH 1–3; RO water and dried leaves.
• Fine sand, roots, dense planting and dim light; water changes should be small and made with water of the same parameters.

Carnivorous. Small live and frozen foods (brine shrimp, cyclops, daphnia, fine bloodworms) should be the staple; it is reluctant to accept dry food.

For its size it is considered one of the most quarrelsome dwarf cichlids, especially toward its own kind. If more than one male is kept in a small tank, the dominant male may kill the others. The female guards the fry fiercely. It hunts baby shrimp.

Good companions: cardinal tetras, pencilfish and hatchetfish, which also like warm, soft water.

Avoid: other dwarf cichlids (in a small tank), a second male, hard-water species, shrimp breeding.