Apistogramma alacrina

By Pet Zone SD Team • October 2026

Overview

Apistogramma alacrina carries a name that describes a fish nobody is fully sure is the one being kept. Sven Kullander introduced an aquarium strain called "Rotpunkt" — German for "red dot" — to the hobby back in 1974. It took another thirty years before he formally described Apistogramma alacrina in 2004, in Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters (volume 15, issue 1, pages 41–48), from wild specimens collected around Ortugueza, Colombia. According to Cichlidae.com (Cichlid Room Companion), Kullander himself was not certain the long-traded Rotpunkt line and the wild population he'd just described were actually the same species. Two decades later, that uncertainty hasn't been resolved — it's simply been formalized into the trade's own labeling.

Walk through current US retail listings and you'll typically find this fish sold as "Apistogramma cf. alacrina 'D18,'" where "cf." (Latin confer, "compare to") is the standard scientific shorthand for "resembles this species, but isn't confirmed to be it." That's an unusually honest label for a hobby that often slaps a tidy species name on anything vaguely similar — and it means buying this fish means buying into its identity question, not just its care requirements.

Identification

Because the trade name itself is tentative, identification matters more here than with most apistos. FishBase's formal diagnosis gives the most reliable marker: a prominent dark blotch at the ventral (lower) base of the pectoral fin, kept distinct from a separate, smaller dark spot at the fin's dorsal (upper) base. FishBase states no other Apistogramma species shows that specific combination, making it the most dependable feature to check against — more dependable than color alone, which varies by locality and supplier batch.

The species name itself may hint at this feature. FishBase attributes "alacrina" to the dark, hair-like lining at the pectoral fin base — plausibly built from Latin ala (wing, or fin) and crinis (hair). That's a more grounded etymology than it might first appear, though we're relying on FishBase's own gloss rather than the original 2004 description for the exact reasoning.

Tank Setup

Published aquarium-specific husbandry detail is genuinely thin for this species — thinner than for most other apistos on this site. The notes below lean on the one breeding-focused source available (AquaticArts) plus genus-standard practice, rather than a deep well of species-specific reporting.

• Tank size: No species-specific figure is published. A 15–20 gallon long tank is a reasonable starting point given the fish's modest ~2.2" maximum size, in line with similarly sized apistos such as pertensis and trifasciata.
• Substrate & décor: No species-specific decor notes are documented. Fine sand, driftwood, and a cave or upturned clay pot follow standard genus practice; AquaticArts specifically recommends a dedicated breeding surface such as an upturned small plant pot.
• Filtration & flow: Gentle filtration is standard practice across the genus; see our tank setup guide for cycling and equipment basics before stocking.
• Water building: AquaticArts recommends slightly acidic, soft water for breeding — roughly pH 6.0–6.5 and about 5 dGH. No general everyday keeping range is documented; see our water parameters guide for building and holding soft, acidic water reliably in the meantime.

Feeding

AquaticArts recommends foods that sink to the bottom third of the tank — sinking flakes and granules for everyday feeding, with live or frozen foods like bloodworm and brine shrimp recommended specifically for bringing pairs into breeding condition. That matches how most Apistogramma respond best to live and frozen foods when conditioning for a spawn; see our general feeding guide for portioning and conditioning diets that apply genus-wide.

Temperament & Compatibility

No dedicated temperament write-up could be verified for this species specifically. Treat it as genus-standard until proven otherwise: generally peaceful toward dissimilar tankmates, with typical apisto territoriality around spawning sites. As with every species on this site, avoid housing it with other Apistogramma species — doubly so here, given that even the fish's own species identity isn't fully settled.

Breeding

Alacrina is a cave spawner with standard Apistogramma biparental care, not a mouthbrooder. AquaticArts recommends targeting roughly pH 6.0–6.5 and about 5 dGH to bring a pair into spawning condition, with a dedicated breeding surface such as an upturned small plant pot for the female to lay in. Where a bonded pair isn't already established, AquaticArts suggests keeping one male with several females rather than a single pair, to improve the odds of a successful match. No detailed, published breeding account with egg counts, fry-rearing timelines, or outcomes could be verified for this species — which is itself notable, since most other species on this site have at least one such account available. Follow our general breeding guide for the broader conditioning-to-fry-rearing process, and treat the parameters above as a starting target rather than a guaranteed formula.

Sourcing Notes

This is not a retail staple. Where it does turn up, it's typically through specialist importers under the qualified label "Apistogramma cf. alacrina 'D18'" — never as a plain, unqualified species name. Given the genuine, describer-acknowledged uncertainty about whether trade stock matches the formally described wild population, don't expect a seller to resolve the question for you; buy for the fish's stated care needs and the diagnostic pectoral-fin markings covered above, not for a guarantee of exact species identity. Its IUCN Near Threatened status (assessed 2020) is also worth weighing against sourcing wild-collected stock specifically. See our general sourcing guide for more on verifying identification when a species carries this kind of unresolved classification.

Final Thoughts

Alacrina isn't a fish you pick for a settled, well-documented care sheet — it's one of the more thinly documented species on this site, with less published breeding detail than almost anything else here. What it does offer is a genuinely unusual story: a species whose own namesake wasn't sure the hobby's long-standing aquarium strain and his formal wild description were the same fish, a trade that still labels it "cf." rather than claiming certainty, and a Near Threatened conservation status that sets it apart from the Data Deficient shrug most rare apistos get. If you want a forgiving, thoroughly documented first apisto, start with cacatuoides or borellii instead. If you're drawn to the genus's unresolved edges, alacrina sits right on one of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the aquarium-trade Apistogramma alacrina the same fish that was formally described?

Nobody can say for certain, including the scientist who named it. Sven Kullander introduced an aquarium strain called "Rotpunkt" (German for "red dot") to the hobby in 1974, three decades before he formally described Apistogramma alacrina in 2004 from wild specimens collected near Ortugueza, Colombia. According to the aquarium reference site Cichlidae.com (Cichlid Room Companion), Kullander himself was not certain the long-traded Rotpunkt line and his newly described wild species were the same fish. That uncertainty persists in the current trade: several US retailers sell the species under the qualified label "Apistogramma cf. alacrina 'D18,'" where "cf." is shorthand for "compare to" — a tentative identification, not a confirmed one.

What does the name "alacrina" mean?

According to FishBase, the species epithet refers to the dark lining at the base of the pectoral fin, which resembles hair — consistent with combining Latin ala (wing, or fin) and crinis (hair). FishBase also notes the genus name Apistogramma itself combines Greek apisto (uncertain, unstable) and gramme (line), referring to the variably developed lateral line found across the genus — a fitting root for a species whose own identity is still unsettled.

How big does Apistogramma alacrina get, and how do you identify it?

FishBase and the retailer-facing reference AquaticArts both give a maximum standard length of about 55mm (2.2in) for males or unsexed individuals; female maximum length isn't documented. FishBase's diagnostic description notes a prominent dark blotch at the ventral base of the pectoral fin, kept separate from a small dark spot at the fin's dorsal base — a combination FishBase states no other Apistogramma species shows, which is the most reliable way to confirm identification rather than relying on trade names alone.

What water parameters and setup does Apistogramma alacrina need to breed?

Published species-specific husbandry data is thin. The retailer reference AquaticArts recommends slightly acidic, soft water for breeding — roughly pH 6.0–6.5 and about 5 dGH — plus a dedicated breeding surface such as an upturned small plant pot. Without an established bonded pair, AquaticArts suggests keeping one male with several females to encourage spawning. No general everyday keeping parameters or temperature range specific to this species could be verified; absent that, genus-standard practice (see our water parameters and tank setup guides) is the safest fallback.

Is Apistogramma alacrina endangered, and is it easy to find in the trade?

It carries an IUCN Red List status of Near Threatened, last assessed in 2020 — an actual conservation concern rather than the Data Deficient or Not Evaluated status reported for several other species on this site, including this site's own pantalone and cinilabra. It is not a retail staple: it surfaces mainly as the tentatively labeled "Apistogramma cf. alacrina 'D18'" through specialist importers, reflecting both its scarcity and its unresolved identification.