Apistogramma linkei

By Pet Zone SD Team • November 2026

Overview

Apistogramma linkei is a small Bolivian dwarf cichlid whose real story is in its name, not its coloration. Ingo Koslowski described it in 1985, in a paper titled "Descriptions of new species of Apistogramma from the Rio Mamoré system in Bolivia" (Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 36) — the same paper that, in the same breath, described a second new species, A. staecki. Both fish were collected on the same Bolivian expedition by two aquarists working together, Horst Linke and Wolfgang Staeck, and Koslowski named one species for each man. The ETYFish Project's etymology database confirms it from both sides: linkei's entry credits Horst Linke, "who collected type with Wolfgang Staeck," while the matching staecki entry honors Staeck, "who collected type with Horst Linke." It's a rare case in the genus of a fully reciprocal dedication, not just one fish named after whoever happened to find it.

Cichlidae.com (Cichlid Room Companion) places linkei in the genus's "Regani" species group — the same group this site's own caetei, commbrae, and pleurotaenia pages already document, per that same reference. That makes linkei the fourth confirmed Regani-group species covered on this site, joining a complex named for A. regani and, through it, for Charles Tate Regan, the ichthyologist who erected the genus Apistogramma itself in 1913.

Natural Habitat

The type locality sits northwest of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, at roughly 16°15′–16°20′S, 68°25′–68°50′W, per PlanetCatfish's citation of the original description. FishBase and PlanetCatfish both place the species' broader distribution across the Amazon basin's Madeira, Mamoré, and Beni drainages in Bolivia and bordering Brazil. FishBase describes the habitat simply as freshwater and benthopelagic — a bottom-and-midwater dweller rather than a strict substrate-hugger — in a tropical climate at 24–26°C. No source gives vegetation, substrate, or water-color detail (blackwater vs. clearwater) for the actual collection sites, so treat general soft, slightly acidic South American lowland stream conditions as the working assumption rather than a confirmed biotope.

Tank Setup

• Tank size: Aqualog recommends a minimum tank length of 60 to 100cm (roughly a 20-gallon long upward). No source gives a specific gallon-volume minimum beyond that footprint.
• Substrate & décor: No species-specific decor guidance exists in the sources checked for this guide. PlanetCatfish's general breeding-tank advice for the species calls for a simple spawning surface such as an upturned small plant pot — the same low-cost approach used for several other apistos on this site. Soft sand with driftwood and leaf litter is a safe general default; see our tank setup guide.
• Water chemistry: Aqualog's general range is pH 5.0–7.0 at 22–28°C. PlanetCatfish and Aquatic Republic's breeding-specific water tightens to pH 6.0–6.5, soft, around 5 dH. See our water parameters guide for building soft, slightly acidic water safely.
• Filtration & flow: No source gives species-specific filtration guidance. Gentle flow and stable, mature water are a safe default for any lesser-documented apisto — see our water quality guide.

Feeding

PlanetCatfish's feeding guidance is genus-standard: offer food that reaches the bottom third of the tank, such as sinking flakes and granules, as a daily base diet. Live or frozen foods — bloodworm and brine shrimp are both named — are recommended specifically for conditioning a breeding pair. No source gives anything species-specific beyond this; see our general feeding guide for broader conditioning strategy.

Temperament & Compatibility

Direct behavioral reporting is thin across every source checked for this guide. Aqualog's profile describes the species as sociable and diurnal, and specifically recommends keeping it in pairs rather than as a single fish. No source rates aggression, territoriality, or compatibility with other dwarf cichlids in any detail. Treat it like a typical small apisto — calm tankmates, no other Apistogramma species in the same tank to avoid hybridization — until a keeper with firsthand experience documents more.

Breeding

Linkei is a cave spawner, consistent with every other species on this site. PlanetCatfish's breeding-tank recommendation is to keep one male with several females, since the sources checked don't describe confirmed pair-bonding behavior, and to provide a dedicated breeding surface such as a small upturned plant pot. Water should be nudged toward pH 6.0–6.5 and soft hardness (~5 dH) to help trigger spawning. None of the sources checked for this guide include a documented breeding report — clutch size, fry-rearing specifics, and grow-out timelines aren't published for this species the way they are for more commonly bred apistos. Follow our general breeding guide for the broader conditioning-to-fry process, and expect to be documenting new ground if you succeed.

Sourcing Notes

This is one of the harder species on this site to actually track down with confidence. A long-running apistogramma.com forum thread on the species dates back to 2004: one poster, citing Horst Richter's Cichlid Atlas, noted that large numbers were imported into Germany in the mid-1980s not long after the species' description, but that the stock he'd personally bought years later showed bent bodies and washed-out color — signs he attributed to inbreeding in a line that had been in the hobby a while without fresh wild imports. A second keeper in the same thread said he hadn't seen the species offered in some time either, with no explanation given. Neither poster reported a recent import. If you find linkei offered today, ask specifically about import recency and stock history — a fish with this little recent trade documentation is one where provenance questions matter more than usual. See our general sourcing guide for broader guidance on verifying identification and stock quality.

Final Thoughts

Linkei won't win anyone over with color or availability — it's a small, thinly-documented Bolivian apisto that's been scarce in the hobby for decades. What it offers instead is one of the more genuinely charming naming stories in the genus: two men who collected fish together in Bolivia in the 1980s each got a species named for the other's collecting partner. If you want an established, far more available species to start with, try cacatuoides or borellii. If the taxonomic threads that connect this genus together are what draw you in, linkei sits naturally alongside this site's other Regani-group species — caetei, commbrae, pleurotaenia — and the namesake regani itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Apistogramma linkei's name historically notable?

It's one half of a matched pair. The ETYFish Project's etymology database says Ingo Koslowski named this species in honor of Horst Linke (b. 1938), an aquarist and author, "who collected type with Wolfgang Staeck" — and ETYFish's own entry for this site's A. staecki says the reverse: that fish honors Staeck, "who collected type with Horst Linke." Both species come from the same Koslowski 1985 paper, "Descriptions of new species of Apistogramma from the Rio Mamoré system in Bolivia" (Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 36), describing specimens the two men collected together on the same Bolivian expedition. Each man got a fish named for the other's collecting partner — a genuinely reciprocal dedication that's unusual even by the genus's own name-the-collector standards.

How big does Apistogramma linkei get?

Sources split by measurement method, and FishBase itself hosts both figures without reconciling them. One cited reference gives a maximum of 3.9cm (males/unsexed) to 4.0cm (females) standard length — closely matching PlanetCatfish's own measurement of 39mm SL from the original description. A separate FishBase-cited reference gives a maximum of 6.0cm total length, which lines up with Aqualog's practical aquarium figure of about 6cm for males and 4cm for females. Standard length (snout to the base of the tail) and total length (snout to the tip of the tail fin) are different measurements of the same fish, not a contradiction — expect adult males to look closer to 2.4 inches nose-to-tail-tip even though the formal description measured a smaller SL figure.

What water parameters does Apistogramma linkei need?

Aqualog's general aquarium guidance gives a fairly wide range — pH 5.0 to 7.0 at 22 to 28°C (72 to 82°F) — while FishBase's recorded environment narrows the temperature to 24 to 26°C. PlanetCatfish and Aquatic Republic agree on tighter, breeding-specific water: slightly acidic (pH 6.0 to 6.5) and soft, around 5 dH. Read that as two different jobs: Aqualog's broader range for everyday keeping, tightened toward the breeding figures only when conditioning a pair. See our water parameters guide for building soft, slightly acidic water safely.

Is Apistogramma linkei endangered?

No. Both PlanetCatfish and Aquatic Republic cite an IUCN Red List assessment of Least Concern, though they date that assessment differently (2014 on one page, 2016 on the other) — likely two different review cycles of the same listing rather than a real disagreement. Conservation status isn't the limiting factor for this species; availability in the hobby is (see below).

Why is Apistogramma linkei hard to find in the hobby today?

A long-running apistogramma.com forum thread on the species, going back to 2004, points to a specific reason: large numbers were imported into Germany in the mid-1980s not long after its description, but a poster citing Horst Richter's Cichlid Atlas reported that stock had since become inbred, with bent bodies and faded coloration showing up in fish purchased years later. Another longtime keeper in that same thread said he hadn't seen the species offered in a while either. Treat any linkei found in the trade today as a fish worth asking hard questions about — stock history and import recency matter more here than for commonly-farmed species like cacatuoides.