Description

Apistogramma borellii is a beautiful dwarf cichlid which originates from many different collection points all across the South American continent. It has been collected from the upper rio Paraguai, the rio Cuiabá, and along the entire river up to where it flows into the rio Paraná into the north of Argentina. This species of nano fish has many different color forms from both its collection points in South America, as well as in part to selective breeding by aquarists. This color form is known as “opal”, and shows almost none of the yellow that is typically on the body. The males’ blue wash no longer fades into the belly, and is completely stretched across the entirety of its body. These scales have an opalescent hue, sometimes appearing green and turquoise in different angles of the lighting. The face patterns are no longer a base yellow with blue streaks, instead the streaks go across the entire face, and in between metallic blue, there is a fiery red. The fins are still its signature umbrella shaped enormous dorsal, and the tips of its dorsal and anal fins are yellow, as well as the tail.

This fish would typically be found in acidic water that is very soft in the wild, but our tank bred specimens are capable of handling much different water parameters as well. You will want to keep these fish in water that is acidic to slightly alkaline, and keep the hardness below 300ppm. This fish handles cooler water very well, since it is found quite far south in the continent, and although not a common occurrence, the air temperature where they have been collected has been recorded as low as 1C, which definitely influences the water they are collected from, being slow moving and relatively shallow. While these tank bred specimens will not handle temperatures nearly that low, they are able to handle cooler temperatures than many fish, especially from their genus! Apart from the water conditions, you will want to add branches and leaf litter into the tank, both to give these fish a place to hide and to give them something to passively graze on and stay well fed. These will also contribute to much more natural behavior from the fish.

When considering tankmates for this fish, you may want to keep them with peaceful small tetras. Some ember tetras or rummynose tetras might be a great choice, as they are small and would offset the colors of the brilliant cichlids very well. Any other fish that can go in a densely planted community aquarium would be a great choice for these fish, and a schooling fish of some sort would work very well in a naturalistic setup. These fish ship individually bagged.

Common Name: Opal Umbrella Dwarf Cichlid
Scientific Name: Apistogramma borellii var. Opal
Country of Import: Czech Republic
Prophylactic Treatment: Erythromycin / Ich-X / Metro
Approximate Current Size: Males 1.75"-2" / Females 1.25"-1.5"
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