Use our fish community creator tool to plan your tank set up and ensure that the Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid is the right fish for your aquarium. (40x16") is strongly recommended.Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid ( Apistogramma cacatuoides)Ĭockatoo Dwarf Cichlid Tropical Fish Learn all about the Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid's feeding habits and food types, its behaviour, its origins, its natural habitats, is it male or female, breeding advice and information, suitable tank mates, its sizing and growth range, minimum tank size, water PH and more. For a community with more than one male, an aquarium with a footprint of at least 100x40cm. Keeping more females than males is adviced, to keep agression to a minimum: ideally this species is kept in a small group of 2-3 specimen, consisting of one male and 2-3 females. But despite that still suitable for a community tank with carefully chosen tank mates (not too small or shy). As soon as my pair manages to actually hatch a batch of eggs, I will add more information based on my personal experiences and observations.Ī somewhat territorial and aggressive community fish (although considered mild for Cichlid standards), especially when the fish are reproducing. A few pictures of this first attempt to reproduce can be seen here. In early November 2006 I was surprised to see that my pair has spawned for the first time, and although the eggs turned out to be infertile, it may be a sign of things to come. In the meantime, the male will stay nearby to defend the territory. Once the eggs have been deposited and fertilized, the female will guard the nest, keep the eggs clean, remove unfertilized and dead eggs, and fan the eggs to provide a steady flow of fresh water and oxygen. When ready to reproduce, they will claim a small territory surrounding a suitable place to lay the eggs, and vigorously defend it against any intruders. Once a pair has bonded, they will start to show breeding colors: females become bright yellow, while the male will become more colorful than usual. It requires a tank with clean water, preferably soft and slightly acidic and a number of suitable spawning sites such as coconuts, flower pots or irregularly shaped pieces of drift wood with small crevices. Offering food in several places in the aquarium may also be a useful approach.ĭue to its hardy and undemanding nature, the Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid is an ideal species for aspiring breeders to gain experience. For this reason, it is recommended to regularly feed sinking food items such as granules. This means that there is a certain risk of them being outcompeted by other, more assertive fish that take their food in all levels of the aquarium (especially during the acclimatisation period). Often they will not, or only very reluctantly move towards the top of the tank during feeding time. It is important to realise that many Dwarf Cichlid-species are not true surface feeders. Live foods are a favorite source of food of this small Cichlid, and will help to bring out the best colors. The Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid accepts a wide range of prepared foods like flakes, cichlid sticks and small granules, as well as frozen, freeze-dried or live foods such as artemia, spirulina, brine shrimp, blood worms, mosquito larvae etc. They will do well in harder, more alkaline water as well, but breeding is questionable under such conditions. Optimal conditions are soft, slightly acidic water, which can be achieved by filtering over peat, or by the use of Black Water Extract. This species does not appreciate very fast currents, so if you have installed a large filter on the tank it is recommended to run it with reduced performance, or to provide a number of area's that are less exposed to the flow of water. A densely planted tank with dimmed lights is preferred, so the little fish can hide and feel secure, especially when they share their tank with larger or more active fish. But given the fact that Apistogramma males naturally tend to establish harems, an aquarium of 32" (80cm.) in length is better suited: this can provide a single male and a small harem of 1-3 females of these colorful and inquisitive Cichlids enough space to thrive and even reproduce. Crested Dwarf Cichlid, Yellow Dwarf Cichlid.Īpistogramma cacatuoides (Hoedeman, 1951)Ī pair can be housed in an aquarium that measures 24" (60cm.) in length.
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