nijessi are not a particularly suitable beginner apsito , i have never heard of them called panda's before either!!
they are more aggresive than other apsito's and hence require more room
cacatides/agassizi are better apisto's to start with
apisto's need soft acidic water so tank mates need to be of this water type aswell tetra's hatchet fish cories etc etc
other soft water dwarf's include rams laetacara's
then there are the afrcican dwarfs and kribs etc which have soft to hard water parameters dependant on riverine lake system of origin
most dwarf's are either cave(apsito) or pit spawners, they lay egg's guard them and give good parental care to the fry
in a busy commmunity tank with the right water quality and parameters you are likely to get succesful matings and the parents will probably eat the egg's to stop other fish predating
or lose the fry to other tank mates , some may survive dependant on how busy the tank is
they are great fish and easy to look after only if you have suitable soft acidic water, most p[erople require an r/o filter to acheive this , some are lucky enough to have a good alpine water source
andrew
