Opal Dwarf Cichlid
Apistogramma sp. 'Opal'
Cichlidae
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About
'Opal' is a trade name, not a described species, and this page will not pretend otherwise. Seriously Fish captions one of the photographs on its Apistogramma borellii profile exactly this way: 'Adult male of a form traded as A. sp. "Opal". It's been assigned the "A" number A105 and may or may not be conspecific with A. borelli.' A second caption on the same page hedges the same way - 'Adult male of A. cf. borelli "Opal"/A105' - and the profile's Notes explain the numbering: borellii itself carries A234 under the DATZ system 'with possibly conspecific, related forms similarly numbered A103, A104, and A105 depending on locality'. So the honest answer to 'what is an Opal apisto?' is: a colour line sold under an sp. name, filed by the most careful source in the hobby under borellii with a written shrug. dwarfcichlid.com says where the name came from: 'A. borellii is a polychromatic species, which means they are found in a variety of different color patterns', and 'At times these colorful races have been assigned trade names, including the commonly used Apistogramma sp. "Opal".' The same page reports Dr Uwe Römer's figures for wild imports - all males metallic blue, 30-40 % additionally with extensive yellow, and only about 10 % with red face markings - which is why a red-faced line is worth selecting for and selling under its own name. The German wholesaler Aquarium Glaser described its stock in April 2019 as coming 'from a German breeder' in 'two selections, "Opal" with red pattern on the head and "Reitzigi" with bright yellow head', both of them fish whose males have, in its words, 'dorsal fins of almost body height'. The confusion runs the other way too: dwarfcichlid.com records that 'In recent years, the undescribed Apistogramma sp. "Steel Blue" has been widely distributed under the name Apistogramma borellii.' What that means for a buyer is simple. Everything below - size, water, tank, temperament - is borellii's data, published here because that is the fish this line behaves and lives like, and flagged as medium confidence because the identity itself is not settled. Do not sell it on as a separate species, and do not mix it with plain borellii or with 'Steel Blue' unless you are content to cross forms you cannot tell apart afterwards.
Care
A pair, not a harem. Seriously Fish gives 'Base dimensions around 45 * 30 cm' as acceptable for a single pair of borellii; we gate the more forgiving 60 cm and 75 L, which is what the rest of our dwarf cichlids ask for. dwarfcichlid.com is blunt that 'A. borellii usually do best in pairs so there is no need for a larger group', so buy a few young fish, let a pair form and move the rest on. Fine sand, wood roots and branches arranged into caves, dried leaf litter, dim light and gentle flow; Microsorum, Taxiphyllum, Cryptocoryne and Anubias are the plants that cope with that light. Water is the easy part of this fish: wild borellii have been recorded across pH 5.0-8.0 and 18-268 ppm, and commercially bred stock is unfussy, so Lithuanian tap water usually works without osmosis. Temperature is the interesting part - this is a southern species from the Rio Paraguay system, dwarfcichlid.com has found it 'thriving in waters with temperatures as low as 54°F (12°C)', and 22-25 °C suits it better than discus heat. Small weekly water changes, a lid, and live or frozen food with a small sinking pellet.
Diet
Carnivorous micropredator on benthic invertebrates. Frozen and live Artemia, Daphnia and bloodworm as the core, plus a small sinking pellet - Seriously Fish notes that pelleted dry products are generally preferred to flake, and dwarfcichlid.com finds tank-bred fish take flake and pellets readily.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (213)
Possible with care (156)
Avoid (49)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
What works for this species, most reliable first.
- Extended finsStrong · from about 8 months, and later in a suppressed male
On many cichlids and killifish the male's dorsal and anal fins draw out into trailing points as he matures, while the female's stay rounded.
- VentingA hint only · only on a mature fish, easiest when she is in breeding condition
The method breeders use when the answer has to be right. Hold the fish upside down in a wet hand or soft net and look at the two openings ahead of the anal fin. The forward one is the anus; the one behind it is what you are reading.
- Adult sizeA hint only · only across animals of the same age
In many cichlids, catfish and loaches one sex simply grows larger — usually the male, though there are well-known reversals.
Also in these lists
Similar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
Sold in Lithuania
These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.
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Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Opal Dwarf Cichlid need?
- A Opal Dwarf Cichlid needs an aquarium of at least 75 litres (19.8 US gallons) with a footprint at least 60 cm (23.6 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Opal Dwarf Cichlid need?
- Opal Dwarf Cichlid does best at 18–28 °C (64.4–82.4 °F), pH 5–8 and a general hardness of 2–15 °dGH.
- Is the Opal Dwarf Cichlid suitable for beginners?
- Opal Dwarf Cichlid sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.