Apistogramma Cacatuoides

[Wills]

I think a 15 to 20 gallon tank might be too small for a trio though. Not enough room for 2 female territories.

I read 15-20 as 20 haha There are some proportioned tanks now where you can get a 3 foot length with under 100 litres which I think would be achievable.

Wills

 

[itiwhetu]

I read 15-20 as 20 haha There are some proportioned tanks now where you can get a 3 foot length with under 100 litres which I think would be achievable.

Wills

3 feet under 100liters could be a great shape for apistos

 

[Essjay]

In my mind's eye, that equivalent in litres usually has a 60 x 30 cm (24 x 12 inch) footprint which would be too small for a harem. But a long, shallower tank could be different.

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

But they are not a pairing fish, a male can be too much for a single female, where as with two females the attention is spread out.

I have an 8 gallon that has carpeting and tons of plants
I’ve heard/seen/read about people successfully breeding them in a 5 gallon (20L) but obviously everything says 10-15 is best.
My 8 gallon does have decent open swimming space, it’s heavily planted. My ph kinda spiked recently so i got some almond leaves to lower it naturally. It currently houses my betta, 4 ottos, 5 pygmy cory and the 1 cherry shrimp that hasnt escaped or been eaten
I just got a 5 gallon which i plan on putting the betta in w/ some amano shrimp. I’ll probably end up taking the pygmy cory’s back to the store, and keep the ottos in the 8 gallon when i get the cacatuoides.
I dont want to go through the effort of removing fry, i want things to happen naturally.
i’m pretty good at keeping things stable and if it’s just the 2 cichlids and 4 ottos it’ll be hard to “crash” the tank i think.
Right now my ph is in the 7.5 range like i said i have some almond leaves added as well as some discus buffer that i’ll add w/ water changes to lower the ph.

 

[Wills]

Please do not put any apistos in an 8 gallon

 

[HoldenOn]

Please do not put any apistos in an 8 gallon

Agree. Need at least a 20 long if breeding.

 

[Metalhead88]

8 is way too small

 

[Stan510]

They are delicate and want 80 maybe maybe 85f degree water. Also,very slow eaters..do not keep with fast moving fish.
I've seen habitat vids and Apisto's in general are in very shallow,still,and open to sun all day waters. So,you can see why they like extra warm water and lots of plants.
I saw one at the last LFS visit so much more colorful than the first one I had..I almost went for it ..again. But,no way. My setup is none of the above.

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

They are delicate and want 80 maybe maybe 85f degree water. Also,very slow eaters..do not keep with fast moving fish.
I've seen habitat vids and Apisto's in general are in very shallow,still,and open to sun all day waters. So,you can see why they like extra warm water and lots of plants.
I saw one at the last LFS visit so much more colorful than the first one I had..I almost went for it ..again. But,no way. My setup is none of the above.

Everything i’ve read says 74-78 farenheit on temperature

 

[HoldenOn]

Everything i’ve read says 74-78 farenheit on temperature

Depends on the variety.

 

[Stan510]

Also- from personal experience,they are very shy fish. Not for a busy room or a room where they see you as well as you see them if possible. So many different factors but in general...

 

[sanders1987]

Late to this post...my apiso cacatuoides bred in my 37 gallon community tank, its tall, they mainly stick to the bottom. They eat the eggs the 1st couple of times but eventually was successful. After the fry hatched the mother took care of the fry. They were free swimming stage and unfortunately it was a community tank. The female protected the fry but unfortunately she passed i think due to excess stress of chasing other fish including the male, ultimately the fry were eaten after the female passed. My tank was run at 76 degrees and co2 reduced the ph of well water. They are awesome little fish, i made caves out of coconut. I drilled a hole in it then cut it into. I scraped out the coconut and boiled the shells.

 

[Stan510]

They,like most small fish,just don't have much of a lifespan and anything goes wrong? And they die long before you even know what wrong.
Another reason I held off on one that looked like a hot rod with a flame paint job on it. $15 and I already know- a busy tank is not for them.

 

[MikeLeMike]

I have a pair of apistogramma cacatuoids in a 20 gallon long tank. 30x12x12. I find it to be a perfect size. The only other thing with them are RCS which also breed. Their babies can serve as fresh food for young apistos. My tank is well planted. I've had 3 batches so far and none have had a 100% survival rate, but many babies survived from each batch. Parents are kept in there and even the babies I leave until they are big enough to be netted out without too much hassle. Maybe I have been lucky but mine never ate their babies and are great parents. I do remove the babies to grow out tanks eventually though. If you can't do that, obviously, you'll want to remove the male in order to have time to grow out a batch.

79 to 80 degrees is the ideal temperature. Studies show that temp mainly affect the sex of babies. At 79 degrees you'll get a balanced spawn of males and females. But in general, they like there water hot.

 

[Stan510]

The more I see of them in wildlife vids in habitat? The more it drives home,they do not like a large aquarium if there are other faster fish with them. No larger aquarium than nature you say?..Well,I see these in waters only a foot deep at most..in ponds choked with grasses and water plants..or the very shallow mud banks of streams. No other fish with them but small tetras or possibly Scalare Angels,and I think those were discarded aquarium fish.Plus the water temps have to be in the 80-90f range.