Nannacara anomala

Golden Dwarf Cichlid

Classification

Cichlidae. Subfamily: Cichlasomatinae

Distribution

The natural range of this species extends from the Rio Aruka in Guyana to the lower Rio Marowijne in Suriname. Most of the ones in the trade are mass-produced on commercial farms in the Far East or Eastern Europe.

Habitat

Often found inhabiting areas of flooded grassland in low-lying coastal areas.

Maximum Standard Length

Males: 3″, Females: 1.5″

Aquarium SizeTop ↑

18″ x 15″ x 12″

Maintenance

Provide a well planted setup with bits of bogwood, driftwood or mopani wood to provide cover and spawning sites for these fish.

Water Conditions

Temperature: 72-77°F (22-25°C)

pH: Acidic, but can tolerate moderately alkaline – 6 to 7.5

Hardness: Prefer soft, but can tolerate moderately hard – from 3 to 8°dH.

Diet

It’s naturally a micropredator, foraging for worms, insects and other invertebrates in the wild. Anomala should take dry foods, in which case a meaty Cichlid pellet should be fed as staple food. Make sure diet is supplemented with both vegetative matter (vegetable/spirulina flakes or small pieces of cucumber) and frozen/live foods (of which the Anomala will prefer bloodworm and brineshrimp).

Behaviour and CompatibilityTop ↑

Very peaceful dwarf Cichlid. Can be kept in a community with most other peaceful fish. Female can be very aggressive indeed when protecting her fry, so if the Nannacara Anomala start breeding in a community tank you may have problems.

Sexual Dimorphism

Male is much bigger, generally exhibiting pale blues and reds whilst the smaller female tends to be yellow with a black lateral line on its flank. Female will present a checkerboard-esque pattern when inbreeding mood.

Reproduction

Very simple. In merely adequate water conditions, a single male and female will very likely breed. Breeding is even easier in a larger tank with a number of females providing companionship to a single male. Females require “sub-territories” of at least 40cm x 40cm on the bottom of a tank, so a 30″ tank would be required to house two females with a male.

NotesTop ↑

Nannacara Anomala are widely available in the trade, and are generally regarded as an excellent beginner’s fish. If a beginner is interested in keeping Cichlids and learning about breeding, then these fish are absolutely ideal.

Anomala are attractive, hardy and usually quite cheap to purchase. Like some species of the Apistogramma genus, the mother may use fascinating body language to communicate with her fry when she is caring for them.

If there is more than one male in a tank smaller than 48″, the subdominant male may take on the guise of a female (colouration and size) to avoid the aggression of the dominant male. If the dominant male was taken away, the subdominant male would quickly (a matter of weeks) grow into a fully functioning male and become the dominant male in the tank.

“Nannacara” simply means “Small Acara”.