Description

Apistogramma macmasteri is a beautiful dwarf cichlid species that was collected first from a drainage of the rio Meta in the eastern Andes in Colombia, and was later discovered in two other collection points further upstream in that same river. The “rotschulter”, or “red-shouldered” variant is a man made color pattern. Rather than the blue wash of the natural variant, this color form is known to have an extremely dense, large red blotch on its shoulder, where the pectoral fins are connected. The red extends beyond the operculum into the face, which has a blue and red pattern, much like an inverted borellii “opal”. Not only is there a dense red blotch in the shoulder, the red in the finnage becomes much more stark as well. The females are still a golden yellow, just like the wild variant, but they often also have a dense red blotch just like the males.

When this species was first described in 1979, they would have been much more fickle to keep, requiring soft, acidic water that is stained with tannins. The ph would be stably acidic, and there would be almost undetectable water hardness. In the case of our fish, which have been tank bred for generations, they are much less particular about the ph and hardness, really only requiring a well cycled filter which keeps the water clean. These fish do also appreciate the addition of the botanicals and branches in order to give them more places to hide in and will give any smaller fish something to pick food off of if they are unable to compete as well for food.

When considering tankmates for these little fish, there are many options. You could even keep these apistogrammas in a species only aquarium, and just watch how they interact with each other. If you’d like to put them into a community aquarium, then select some peaceful tankmates that will not go after or compete with the apistogrammas. A wonderful choice for a fish that stays at the top of the aquarium is any variety of hatchet, as their strange shape makes for an interesting addition, and their tendency to stick to the top makes it unlikely for the two different species to interact badly. This is a very peaceful, small-mouthed cichlid that will add some nice color to any setting you give them. These fish ship individually bagged.

Common Name: Macmaster's Red-Shouldered Dwarf Cichlid
Scientific Name: Apistogramma macmasteri var. Red-Shoulder
Country of Import: Czech Republic
Prophylactic Treatment: Erythromycin / Ich-X / Metro
Approximate Current Size: Males 2.5"-3" / Females 2"-2.25"
Temp/pH/TDS: 75F / 6.5 pH / 74

Please be aware that all fish are sold on a BUY THIS WEEK, SHIP NEXT WEEK basis, and fish are shipped only on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Weekly shipping cutoff is EVERY SATURDAY at 12 Noon Pacific US Time. All fish are shipped via UPS Next Day Air. Minimum order is $50.00 (excluding shipping) and all orders to the lower 48 US States qualify for FLAT RATE $60.00 shipping via UPS Next Day Air. Hawaii and Alaska State Residents: Please contact us if you would like to purchase Live Animals for delivery.

When you place your order, you will be required to agree to our Terms & Conditions of Sale

Warranty Information

All Live Fish are delivered via UPS Next Day Air and are covered by our DOA Protection Guarantee with the following terms

1. All sales are final and no return of goods is possible
2. The shipping cutoff each week is Saturday at 12 Noon, Pacific US Time
3. We reserve the right to delay the shipping of Live Animal orders due to inclement weather and/or other unforeseen incidents; if dangerous weather conditions or other impactful incidents occur, we may delay the shipping of your Live Animals. Customers who wish to cancel their orders under these conditions may do so with a 10% cancellation fee
4. All Live Animals are sold on a Purchase This Week, Ship Next Week basis, and orders are shipped out on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of the week after sale. Tracking numbers are automatically sent to customers via email notification when orders are shipped
5. Once an order is placed, it may be cancelled and refunded upon customer request, however a 10% cancellation fee will apply
6. The minimum order amount for Live Animal orders is $50.00 (USD); we reserve the right to cancel and refund Live Animals orders with subtotals of less than $50.00 (USD)
7. All animals sold are slightly variable in size, color, pattern, and in overall appearance, and may differ from this website's photograph(s) of the animal
8. Live Animals delivered with UPS Next Day Air are covered against Dead-On-Arrivals if the following conditions are met:
   a. Live Animal shipments must be delivered on the first delivery attempt; if for any reason Live Animals were not delivered to you on the carrier’s first delivery attempt, then there is no guarantee against Dead-On-Arrival animals in your shipment and no refund will be issued
   b. Live Animals must be delivered to the original delivery address entered when the order was placed; if an alternate address is chosen and communicated to the carrier by the customer or customer agent, then there is no guarantee against Dead-On-Arrival animals in your shipment and no refund will be issued
   c. In the very unlikely event that Dead-On-Arrival Animals are received in a shipment delivered via UPS Next Day Air, the customer must begin the Dead-On-Arrival claim process by informing us through our website within two (2) hours of the electronically registered delivery receipt of the Live Animal package
   d. All Dead-On-Arrival Claims must accompany photographs clearly showing the Deceased Animal still heat-sealed in the plastic bag that it was originally shipped in, and the photographs must be provided to us during the Dead-On-Arrival Claim Process. Any Dead-On-Arrival Claim which does not also include required photographs will be denied and no refund will be issued
   e. If Dead-On-Arrival Animals are received via UPS Next Day Air but are not reported to us within the first two hours of the electronically registered delivery receipt, then there will be no refunds issued; our Dead-On-Arrival warranty period for Live Animals ends two hours after the Live Animals have been delivered to you, and any claims made to us outside of this strict two-hour claim window will be denied
   f. No other warranty or guarantee applies to Live Animal purchases
9. Shipping Fees paid to us are forwarded to UPS to pay for your Live Animal shipment, and as such, shipping fees are not refundable
10. All refunds are issued in the form of store credit