Apistrogramma Cacatuoides "triple Red"

[kribensis12]

I have never "kept" cockatoo's before. I saved one once from a pet store, and it died later on. But at an auction yesterday they had a pair of gorgeous triple reds for sale and I couldn't pass it up! Anyway, the only problem is my pH. It is incredibly high. It sits at about 8.4. I have tried to lower it with pH reducers, Canadian peat moss, bog wood, natural black water extracts. Nothing works. I acclimated the pair into a 10g yesterday. They seem to be doing surprisingly well. They are eating and swimming around, but they came from a pH of 7.0 and I did drip acclimate them for over an hour. I am hoping that they keep doing this well. They are very tiny. The male maybe an inch and a half, and the female 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. They are fully colored, so they are mature as far as I am aware. There was another pair being sold that were like 4 inches long, beautiful fish. They went for 17 dollars, I picked mine up for 12 (that includes the 1 dollar I paid to move the item up). I also picked up 5 koi angels (not the prettiest, lacking a lot of orange), for 4 bucks to fill my empty 30g tank. I also got some corys. I will have a few videos up later. I need to upload them. Any one have any helpful tips at keeping at cockatoo's?

 

[kribensis12]

Here is a short video of the cockatoo's :



and here is one of the angels and cory's :

 

[kribensis12]

Anyone?

 

[Tolak]

Another breeding project? As far as apistos go these do well in harder water with a higher pH. Flake, some frozen bloodworms & brine shrimp, cooler water changes & they should spawn in your water. Looks like you have the right idea with the clay pot, don't be alarmed at the egg color, they are a very bright orange.

As usual, bbs for the fry works best, add in some really fine ground flake after a few weeks.

Good auction, we stuck around until the end, hit the KFC buffet down the road afterward.

 

[kribensis12]

KFC BUFFET? I wish I had stayed, but I hung out with my girlfriend. I guess there was a bit of an opportunity cost there. Anyway, they are another breeding project. I would like to add them to my list of things I have bred. Maybe the angels will work this time. I have decided that since my firemouths bred, then my angels can too. Because they are found in the same water conditions. I am thinking the cockatoos are a little too small for breeding at the moment, right? Also, would it be wise to pick up a few more females online? Or will they be fine as a pair? I am hoping these guys put on some growth to eventually look like the gigantic pair of cockatoo's that were at the auction. BTW, I think this is the best auction we have had as far as how many people showed up and prices. The beginning was rocky as people needed to open up their checkbooks.

 

[Tolak]

They could get a little bigger for breeding, as they were sold as a pair not a proven pair by the sound of it. If you're looking for another female see if there is any contact info on the bag, Joe G with CAFE has been selling these for a while now, good chance they're his fish. When I first did them I had just the pair, 1 1/2" male, 1" female, they spawned after about a month.

Angels raised in that water may well work out breeding in that water, worth a try if you have the tank space.

Many auctions have a slow start, people feeling out prices & such. Prices did hold pretty good for the whole auction, if I'm not mistaken it ran until a little after 6. We always find a buffet on the way home from road trip auctions, it's part of the game plan.

 

[kribensis12]

They are his. I disposed of the bag before grabbing his information on there. Any chance you know his cell phone number? I checked aquabid for females and they are only pairs, and only double reds. No triple reds. My gigantic pair of firemouths only sold for 11 dollars, but then my female jewel cichlid sold for 9. I am not sure how that worked out,

 

[Tolak]

I picked up some of his borrelis there, found the bag, I'll pm the number. At times there is no rhyme or reason for the price of fish at an auction, and it is usually a waste of time trying to predict if an item will go high, low, or average. The only consistent thing is that prices are comparatively higher for the first half than the second half.

 

[OldMan47]

I finally gave up after about 5 tables and left. I was quite pleased at the prices my fish were giving me but didn't really see anything that appealed to me. I did bring home some fish food but I go for the fish, not the food. I have never tried apistos but I must admit the ones I saw were tempting.

 

[kribensis12]

You should have picked some up! They are beautiful!

 

[kribensis12]

The are still alive and kicking. They look pretty good. I am working on figuring out the best food to feed them, in hopes of stimulating the female to produce eggs. I was told beefheart would be a good thing for them. I have heard conflicting things about beefheart, what do you guys think?

 

[Tolak]

If I use beefheart it's always a mix, we grind in spinach, some other sort of seafood such as shrimp, spirulina and some multivitamins. I'll either feed light the next day or fast, as it is a protein heavy food. Put some bbs in as well, when they see food for the fry present they seem more likely to spawn.

 

[kribensis12]

I picked up some frozen mosquito larvae for them. I am feeding it every other day. They really like it. Over the past two weeks the female has been getting very plump. Its extremely noticeable. I think they are going to lay eggs soon.

 

[kribensis12]

Well, since she was soo tiny I mistook bloat for fattening up. I found her dead yesterday. I am unsure of what to do now.

 

[RustedKnight]

Aww really sorry to hear about the female, thats a #41#### shame

I'm taking delivery of a pair today, any tips for another newbie?