Dwarf Cockatoo Cichlid

[scouse_andy]

I'm considering getting a harem of Dwarf Cockatoo Cichlids for my community tank.

It is 240 litre, 4 foot tank so I was thinking of 3 females and a male. Would I have adequate space for 3 territories in the tank? I have heard that it is best to have more than 3 caves to avoid confrontation between the females. Is this right? If so then how many? What kind of things do people use for caves? Bogwood, bits of slate arranged to make a cave, terracota plant pots?

Also other inhabitants of the tank will be corys, cherry barbs, kuhli loaches, danio and harlequin rasbora. Is it true that the loaches and corys are very likely to eat any eggs produced? If so which species more than the other or are they both as bad?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Griz]

A 4 foot tank is plenty of room for 1m/3f. I like coconut caves myself. They are a bit of work but look very natural and are cheap. My second choice would be clay garden pots. Break a piece out of the rim and set it upside down. I've never done it but I would imagine you'll ruin a few pots trying to get a good entrance hole. I've also had different apistos nest under large pieces of driftwood.

Unfortunatley all of the other tank inhabitants are going to predate eggs and fry. The loaches and corys will go after eggs and the barbs and rasboras will take care of any fry that result. I've kept apistos in community tanks and have been very happy watching them interact. The fry were generally short-lived but I was still able to enjoy the mating/parenting behaviours without having to figure out what to do with the young. Unless you really want to raise up the young, a community tank is a fine way to enjoy apistos. You can always remove a pair into a 10 or 15 gallon tank to breed and them put them back into the community tank if you wantto have the experience of raising the young.