Apistogramma brevis

By Pet Zone SD Team • October 2026

Overview

Apistogramma brevis is a small, blackwater-specialist dwarf cichlid from the Rio Uaupés basin that has been scientifically valid since 1980, yet still lacks a common name, an IUCN assessment, and even a sex-specific size figure from its best-documented aquarium source. Sven Kullander formally described it in his landmark 1980 taxonomic revision of Brazilian and Peruvian Apistogramma — the same paper, same year, as this site's own elizabethae — and gave it the name brevis, Latin for "short," a reference to its comparatively small size next to other Apistogramma found in the Rio Uaupés. Forty-five years later, SeriouslyFish's own difficulty rating for the species still lists hardiness and diet as "unknown," and Cichlidae.com (Cichlid Room Companion) records its conservation status as simply "not evaluated" — not even Data Deficient, a step this site's other thinly documented species have at least reached.

Brevis also holds a small taxonomic distinction: it's the type species of its own "brevis group," one of roughly a dozen recognized species groups within Apistogramma. Per taxonomist Tom Christoffersen's published breakdown, that group — four described species plus five more recognized but still formally undescribed — sits within the broader A. trifasciata lineage, the same higher-level lineage as this site's own trifasciata, though the two occupy separate, more distantly related species groups within it.

Natural Habitat

SeriouslyFish places brevis in the Rio Uaupés basin of far northwestern Brazil and the Rio Tiquié in southern Colombia, with further records from the upper Rio Negro and the Rio Orinoco — a relatively small range it hasn't been documented outside of. It holds to slow-moving blackwater streams, creeks, tributaries, and smaller rivers, where dense rainforest canopy keeps light levels low and the water runs dark brown, stained by humic acids leached from submerged branches and rotting leaf litter on the substrate. Dissolved mineral content is negligible, and pH in these waters can fall as low as 4.0 to 5.0 — more extreme than the 6.0–7.0 range SeriouslyFish recommends for the aquarium.

Brevis shares the Rio Uaupés with this site's own elizabethae, along with the undescribed Apistogramma sp. "breitbinden," the armored catfish Hoplisoma melini, two Leporinus species, the eartheater Satanoperca daemon, the dwarf characid Tucanoichthys tucano, and — notably for a realistic biotope dither fish — the cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi.

Tank Setup

• Tank size: SeriouslyFish recommends a minimum footprint of 45×38cm (18×15in) for a pair, roughly 52 liters (14 US gallons) at a typical height — a species tank with multiple females needs meaningfully more floor space. See our tank setup guide for general dwarf cichlid dimensions and layout principles.
• Substrate & décor: Bogwood is specifically called out by SeriouslyFish, both for cover and for the tannins it releases into the water. Add small caves — some deliberately too small for the male to enter — so females always have a refuge during breeding season. A sand or fine substrate suits the species' bottom-oriented habits.
• Lighting & plants: Keep lighting moderate to low, echoing the shaded rainforest-canopy conditions of its native streams. A well-planted layout is recommended; dried leaf litter is optional for extra authenticity and tannin release, though SeriouslyFish cautions it can foul the water if not managed.
• Filtration & flow: Run weak water flow — this is a slow-water-column species, not one adapted to current. Standard gentle sponge or canister filtration is fine as long as flow stays low.
• Water chemistry: SeriouslyFish specifies pH 6.0–7.0, temperature 26–28°C (79–82°F), and hardness 0–5 dGH — soft and as close to mineral-free as practical. See our water parameters guide for building and holding soft, acidic water safely.

Feeding

SeriouslyFish describes brevis as taking a varied diet readily: good-quality cichlid pellets or flakes as a base, supplemented with live or frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, plus vegetable matter such as spirulina or algae wafers. See our general feeding guide for conditioning diets ahead of a spawn.

Temperament & Compatibility

SeriouslyFish calls brevis a peaceful dwarf cichlid overall, suitable alongside tetras, rasboras, corydoras, and similarly sized peaceful community fish — cardinal tetras, which naturally co-occur with it in the Rio Uaupés, are a fitting biotope-accurate choice. It does turn territorial once in breeding condition, and the male may harass the female at that time, so a species setup works best as a single male with three or more females, with enough caves spread across the tank that no one female bears the brunt of his attention. As with every species on this site, avoid mixing it with other Apistogramma to prevent hybridization and unnecessary territorial conflict.

Breeding

Brevis is a cave spawner, and SeriouslyFish calls it not too difficult to breed once genuinely soft, acidic water is on offer. The female takes the lead, guarding the spawning territory and driving off intruders — including, at times, the male himself. Eggs hatch in about three days, with fry becoming free-swimming roughly four to five days after that. SeriouslyFish describes the pair as generally good parents, though notes the female will occasionally lose patience with the male during the process, which is part of why small caves sized to exclude him are worth having ready. Fry can be started on newly hatched brine shrimp. Follow our general breeding guide for the broader conditioning-to-fry-rearing process.

Sourcing Notes

Brevis isn't a general fish-store species — its specialist-only supply chain is likely a big part of why it never picked up a common name in the first place. If you do find it offered, it will most often be under its scientific name or the informal "A168" code SeriouslyFish records, rather than any trade nickname. Given that this site found no second aquarium-specific source to independently confirm SeriouslyFish's size figures against, ask any seller where their stock was collected or bred, and don't assume a specimen sold as brevis matches another keeper's photos exactly — misidentification risk runs high across thinly documented Rio Negro-basin apistos. See our general sourcing guide for broader guidance on verifying identification and acclimating hard-to-find stock.

Final Thoughts

Brevis is a reminder that a valid scientific name and four and a half decades of taxonomic standing don't automatically bring a species out of obscurity. No common name, no IUCN evaluation at all, and a major aquarium reference that still shrugs at its hardiness and diet — yet it's also the type species of its own recognized group within the genus, and shares its home river with this site's own elizabethae, described in the very same 1980 paper. If you want a far more thoroughly documented, widely available species to start with instead, try cacatuoides or borellii. If Rio Negro-basin blackwater specialists with thin documentation are what draw you to this site, brevis sits comfortably alongside elizabethae and baenschi.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't Apistogramma brevis have a common name?

SeriouslyFish lists no common name for it at all, which is unusual among the species on this site — most, even obscure ones, have picked up at least an informal hobby nickname. Brevis has instead mostly stayed inside a narrow specialist supply chain tied to its Rio Uaupés and Rio Tiquié collection sites, without the wider retail exposure that tends to generate a nickname. SeriouslyFish does note the species carries the code A168 in an informal "A-number" system some retailers and hobbyists use for Apistogramma, similar to the L-number scheme long used for Loricariidae catfish — though unlike most L-numbered fish, brevis already has a valid scientific name, so the code functions more as a specialist shorthand than a stand-in for one.

How big does Apistogramma brevis get?

SeriouslyFish gives a single maximum of 60mm (2.4in) standard length, without breaking that out separately by sex the way it does for most other Apistogramma profiles. That's a meaningfully smaller ceiling than genus averages like agassizii or bitaeniata, though not unusual for a Rio Negro-basin blackwater specialist. We found no second aquarium-specific source publishing an independent figure to cross-check this one against, so treat it as the best available estimate rather than a value confirmed across multiple references the way this site's other size claims typically are.

What is the Apistogramma brevis species group?

Brevis is the type species — the name-bearing reference point — for its own "brevis group" within Apistogramma. Per taxonomist Tom Christoffersen's published species-group breakdown, the brevis group sits within the broader A. trifasciata lineage (the same higher-level lineage that includes this site's own trifasciata, though in a separate, more distantly related species group) and currently comprises four scientifically described species plus five more recognized but still formally undescribed, all endemic to the upper Rio Negro and upper Orinoco basins in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Shared physical traits across the group include highly serrated male dorsal fins, caudal fins crossed by fine spot-rows, and unusually short, blunt male ventral fins.

Is Apistogramma brevis endangered?

Nobody has ever formally assessed it. Cichlidae.com (Cichlid Room Companion) lists its IUCN Red List status as simply "not evaluated" — a step below even the Data Deficient rating several other species on this site carry, since Data Deficient at least means an assessment was attempted and found the data lacking. Combined with its narrow, specific range along the Rio Uaupés and Rio Tiquié, that makes its real-world conservation status essentially unknown rather than reassuring.