Apistogramma hongsloi

It is one of the more colorful Apistogramma species in some of its color forms, which are the result of selective breeding by aquarists.[2] The male has brighter colors than the female. The wild forms are infrequently seen in the aquarium trade, as they are not as colorful as the selectively bred strains.[2] The wild forms are dark yellowish-brown in the dry season, but in the rainy season where they breed, their colors become brighter, including the red spot at the base of the tail.[3]

This dwarf cichlid is found in the Orinoco basin in South America: along the middle Orinoco River, in the Vichada River drainage and the middle Meta River.[1] They typically live in small, slow-moving spring-fed streams that receive plenty of sunlight, have a pH below 5 and a temperature between 26–28 °C (79–82 °F),[3] but can thrive at pH 5.5–7 and 23–29 °C (73–84 °F).[4]

Before spawning, the female will turn bright yellow. The female places her eggs inside the roof of a cavity or underneath a leaf. She can lay 50-100 eggs at one time. She takes care of the eggs and alone, while the male guards the territory. The female gets very aggressive and will chase the male. The eggs are salmon colored. Usually when they spawn for the first time, the female will get scared and eat her eggs. When the eggs hatch, the fry stay at the bottom and absorb the last of the egg before they become free swimming. When they become free swimming, they will feed off of dead plants and other micro organisms. The female is able to raise all of the fry herself.

Apistogramma hongsloi likes more acidic softer water. They do well in planted tanks with leaf litter and/or driftwood which release tannins which lower the pH of the water. The Hongsloi also will sometimes lay eggs on the bottom of the leaves.

In the specific name the author Sven O. Kullander is honouring the collector of the type, the aquarist and fish-disease specialist, Thorbjörn Hongslo of the National Veterinary Institute in Uppsala.[5]