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Apistogramma Borellii
Apistogramma borellii
Typical trade / ID note: Apistogramma borellii
Also known as: umbrella cichlid, yellow dwarf cichlid, borelli's apisto, Umbrella cichlid, Yellow dwarf cichlid, Borelli's apisto
Fishori provides conservative planning guidance, not guarantees.
Based on multiple reputable aquarium care sources with strong agreement. Use the numbers here as planning defaults — your room, water, and routine still shape real-world outcomes.
The cool-water dwarf cichlid. Soft water and a pair-bonded setup gets the colour and the spawns. Skip the trio and any other cichlid in the same tank.
Best for
Soft-water planted community tanks 80L or more at 22–26 °C for experienced dwarf-cichlid keepers after colour and occasional spawning.
Avoid if
Your tap water is hard alkaline, you run the tank above 26 °C, or this is your first cichlid.
Top things that go wrong
- Shrimp & snails. Shrimp: depends on the individual fish. Some leave them alone, others hunt cherry shrimp down within a week of meeting them.
Common mistakeTwo males in one tank. A pair or harem works; two males fight continuously regardless of volume.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Buying a pair, then adding a 'spare' male as a third option. The dominant male evicts the new fish into a corner within 48 hours.
- 2.Keeping in hard alkaline water because the shop tank looked fine. Wild borellii live in soft acidic water and farmed lines decline over months on hard tap.
- 3.Easier than agassizii and cacatuoides on water chemistry, but still a dwarf cichlid that defends a flat-rock spawning site. A pair in an 80L with cover lines and dither tetras above is the workable plan. Two males in the same tank without 120cm of length pin one of them in a corner.
About this species
Borellii are the cool-water apisto. Males show yellow on the body with red-and-blue trim on the unpaired fins. The species comes from the Paraguay basin and tolerates room-temperature 20 to 26 C, where most apistos want 26 to 29. That makes borellii the dwarf cichlid for unheated tanks in temperate rooms.
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlid80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Apistogramma Trifasciata80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- German Blue Ram80L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Apistogramma Macmasteri100L min · same group, similar adult size
- Checkerboard cichlid100L min · same group, similar adult size
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogramma100L min · same group, similar adult size
- Kribensis100L min · same fish family
- Bolivian Ram110L min · same group, similar adult size
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlidalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- American Flagfishalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Macmasterialso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Trifasciataalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogrammaalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Golden Wonder Killifishalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
No reverse lookups on file yet.
Plan grid
Key limits are shown above; this section adds planning detail: pH band, swim level, bioload and activity, and the radar.
Swim zones
Planning trait chart
Six indices for comparing species on paper before you spend.
- Beginner ease38
- Peacefulness44
- Community fit39
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness54
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Common setup sketches
Conservative patterns from Fishori fields — still run the pair checker for every species you add; sketches are not a stocking guarantee.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Apistogramma Borellii belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Tank mate intelligence
Use the "Often compatible" lists as a shortlist, not a stocking plan. Always run the pair tool and check the footprint of your actual tank first. Verify behaviour for Apistogramma Borellii against your own reading before you buy.
Pair-level compatibility with this fish as anchor.
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Apistogramma Borellii + Cardinal Tetra
Behaviour, temperament, and what to watch
Prose and lists come from the same record: read temperament first, then glass-level signals so you are not surprised after day three.
Apistogramma Borellii is semi-aggressive: stable in a calm tank, pushy with weaker fish when stressed or crowded. Holds territory on substrate, in caves, or at the surface film. Break the sight lines with hardscape to keep the resident off the visitor.
Stress / aggression triggers on file
- spawning site
- rival males
- small tank length
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper, but individuals can still test fins under stress or in a crowded tank.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly-sized community fish. The usual community caveats about mouth size still apply for very small fry or shrimp.
Territory: Holds territory on substrate, in caves, or at the surface film. Break the line of sight with hardscape, and avoid placing the tank where the fish can see its own reflection.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Moderate pacing — not hyperactive, not motionless.
- Clamped fins, gasping at the surface, hiding non-stop, or refusing food after the first week.
- Rapid breathing when parameters swing — fix ammonia/nitrite first, then reassess mates.
- Chasing one individual repeatedly, torn fins on tank mates, or food theft every feed.
- Corner guarding, flaring, or body-blocking — territory is normal until it becomes relentless.
- Separate or rehome if injuries appear, one fish is pinned, or feeding becomes a daily chase.
- If water is stable but behaviour worsens, reduce stocking or remove the highest-impact species first.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Care parameters: water, food, inverts, grouping
Chemistry and group rules sit here so you are not re-reading the same line from tank mate or temperament blocks. Swim level is in the plan grid above.
Hardness
soft
Diet
carnivore
Small invertebrates, frozen bloodworm or daphnia, and protein-rich prepared foods. Rotate the menu and feed by appetite rather than by clock.
Shrimp & snails
Shrimp: depends on the individual fish. Some leave them alone, others hunt cherry shrimp down within a week of meeting them.
One bonded pair per tank under 200L. Two males do not work without 120 cm of length and heavy planting.
Breeding behaviour depends on the species. Research before you buy a mixed-sex group of this fish.
- An 80L tank or larger with at least 80 cm of length so a pair can hold opposite ends.
- Soft, slightly acidic to neutral water (pH 6.0 to 7.5, soft). Tanks with hard tap need RO mixing.
- Live or frozen food source. Borellii take pellets reluctantly and breed only on a varied live/frozen diet.
- Flat rocks or coconut-shell caves for spawning sites.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 80L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 20–26°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
Explore and stocking hubs
Same library as the rest of Fishori: tank-mate index for this species, category peers, guides, and litre-based stocking lists where min tank on file is within the hub volume.
Plan with tools
Pair-level rules and multi-fish stocking use the same conservative engine — add this fish in the tank builder only after mates pass pair checks.
Filtration & heating
A 80L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 320L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 20–26°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Apistogramma Borellii does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 20–26°C and pH 6–7.5:
Profile status: partially verified · Evidence tier: high · 2 linked source(s). Fishori does not fabricate citations.
Fishori uses conservative planning rules based on these sources.
Confidence is explained in the summary at the top of this page (same tier as here), not repeated below.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Apistogramma borellii
Primary: detailed species page on temperature range (notable for low end), Paraguay/Argentine origin, pair-bonding behaviour, and tank setup.
- Practical Fishkeeping. Apistogramma Borellii Profile
Secondary: editor overview covering colour variants (opal, blue), feeding (live/frozen preferred), and community-tank compatibility caveats.
Evidence notes
- Borellii is one of the few apistos that tolerates 20 to 22 C steadily, which makes it a candidate for the rare unheated planted tank in a temperate house. Other apistos sulk and stop spawning below 25 C.
- Two males in a tank under 120 cm of length nearly always end with one fish pinned in a corner. The species needs sight breaks, not just litres, to spread aggression.
- Fishori profiles work from typical aquarium trade sizes and hobby care norms. Specialist site checks and literature review for this species are not yet recorded here, so the ranges on this page are planning numbers rather than guarantees.