FoundMoney
Fish Crazy
I just picked up a pair of Cockatoo Cichlids a few hours ago. The male looks to be about 1.5 inches and the female is about half the size. I had wanted to get two females but my lfs only got two in. Is it common that distributors like to ship pairs? Anyway, the store got them a few days ago and I asked them to hold them for me.
When I got to the store they were separated by a breeder net from the other fish in the tank. The male was fairly colorful considering all he must have been through in the past few days. His body is a bit pale right now but he has beautiful orange dorsal fins on the top and tail. I'm not sure if this is a double red or an orange flash or some other morph. I'm sure as he gets adjusted to the tank and grows a bit more he'll be more colorful, too. The female had very little color but that is to be expected. In the net the fish looked healthy. They were not breathing hard and the male kept rubbing up against the female. I suppose this is a good sign. She did not seem to be bothered by it at all.
Once I got them home I floated the bag in my tank for about 15 minutes, then slowly started adding tank water over the next hour or so. I then carefully dumped the water out and netted the fish, depositing them in my tank. They did not seem overly skittish but they were quite cautious, as well. At first they stuck together but then the female went off behind some plants and rocks while the male continued checking out the bottom of the tank. I left the lights off for another hour but turned them back on for the last hour before "lights out".
I had fed my other fish prior to bringing these fish home earlier in the evening but I was curious to see if the Cockatoos would eat. When I bought the fish I also bought some frozen bloodworms as I thought these would be good for the new fish. I defrosted a few worms but as soon as I dropped them in my school of 8 Von Rio tetras went nuts. They have never eaten bloodworms before. Usually they eat flake and some cyclops a couple of times a week. They also seem to get their fair share of algae wafer when I throw one in for my bristlenose. I couldn't believe how quickly they devoured these worms. They didn't let any fall to the bottom so the cockatoos, being a bit timid still didn't get any. I decided since they were all gone that I'd add a few more. This time I dropped a fairly good amount and some of the worms escaped the grasp of the tetras and the female cockatoo grabbed a couple. It was good to see her eat. I could tell the male wanted some as well but he was not willing to get in with the tetras to grab some. I saw him grab some small pieces that managed to elude the tetras so I know he ate a tiny bit.
With the lights on he seemed to explore the tank quite freely, especially liking to swin under driftwood and low lying leaves. However, he seemed quite afraid of me and wouldn't come out unless I was a good distance away from the tank. So far he was oblivious to the other fish, except once I saw him take a swipe at one of the tetras. However, for the most part the tetras would swim up to him and he wouldn't pay much attention at all.
The female seemed to find a favorite hiding spot right away, next to a piece of driftwood, behind some rocks and plants, completely ignoring the little flowerpot I put in as a cave for her. I did see the male go in the cave for a little while but then left. Perhaps, I have it too out in the open but I want to be able to see inside the cave in case they do decide to use it. Once they get more acclimated maybe they'll move in.
The female exhibited some funny behavior. She seemed to take to the otos pretty quickly. At one point all three of my otos were huddled together in a corner sucking on some rocks. It seemed like the female was taking a cue from them and she began swimming with them nipping at the rocks as well. Because of the females markings and shape, a sort of brownish gray, she kind of looked like an oto herself.
I did get a little worried at one point because I saw one of the otos go after the male and attempt to suck on him. He didn't get very far before the cichlid moved but he was surprisingly placid about it. I hope this doesn't cause a problem. There seems to be plenty of algae in my tank so I doubt if the otos are starving. They also have nice round bellies. Maybe I'll through an algae wafer in the tank just to keep them pacified for now.
Sorry for the long winded post but as you can imagine I'm very excited about my cockatoos. I'm hopeful that these little creatures will have a long and comfortable life in my tank. If anyone has any comments or advice on them please feel free to share.
When I got to the store they were separated by a breeder net from the other fish in the tank. The male was fairly colorful considering all he must have been through in the past few days. His body is a bit pale right now but he has beautiful orange dorsal fins on the top and tail. I'm not sure if this is a double red or an orange flash or some other morph. I'm sure as he gets adjusted to the tank and grows a bit more he'll be more colorful, too. The female had very little color but that is to be expected. In the net the fish looked healthy. They were not breathing hard and the male kept rubbing up against the female. I suppose this is a good sign. She did not seem to be bothered by it at all.
Once I got them home I floated the bag in my tank for about 15 minutes, then slowly started adding tank water over the next hour or so. I then carefully dumped the water out and netted the fish, depositing them in my tank. They did not seem overly skittish but they were quite cautious, as well. At first they stuck together but then the female went off behind some plants and rocks while the male continued checking out the bottom of the tank. I left the lights off for another hour but turned them back on for the last hour before "lights out".
I had fed my other fish prior to bringing these fish home earlier in the evening but I was curious to see if the Cockatoos would eat. When I bought the fish I also bought some frozen bloodworms as I thought these would be good for the new fish. I defrosted a few worms but as soon as I dropped them in my school of 8 Von Rio tetras went nuts. They have never eaten bloodworms before. Usually they eat flake and some cyclops a couple of times a week. They also seem to get their fair share of algae wafer when I throw one in for my bristlenose. I couldn't believe how quickly they devoured these worms. They didn't let any fall to the bottom so the cockatoos, being a bit timid still didn't get any. I decided since they were all gone that I'd add a few more. This time I dropped a fairly good amount and some of the worms escaped the grasp of the tetras and the female cockatoo grabbed a couple. It was good to see her eat. I could tell the male wanted some as well but he was not willing to get in with the tetras to grab some. I saw him grab some small pieces that managed to elude the tetras so I know he ate a tiny bit.
With the lights on he seemed to explore the tank quite freely, especially liking to swin under driftwood and low lying leaves. However, he seemed quite afraid of me and wouldn't come out unless I was a good distance away from the tank. So far he was oblivious to the other fish, except once I saw him take a swipe at one of the tetras. However, for the most part the tetras would swim up to him and he wouldn't pay much attention at all.
The female seemed to find a favorite hiding spot right away, next to a piece of driftwood, behind some rocks and plants, completely ignoring the little flowerpot I put in as a cave for her. I did see the male go in the cave for a little while but then left. Perhaps, I have it too out in the open but I want to be able to see inside the cave in case they do decide to use it. Once they get more acclimated maybe they'll move in.
The female exhibited some funny behavior. She seemed to take to the otos pretty quickly. At one point all three of my otos were huddled together in a corner sucking on some rocks. It seemed like the female was taking a cue from them and she began swimming with them nipping at the rocks as well. Because of the females markings and shape, a sort of brownish gray, she kind of looked like an oto herself.
I did get a little worried at one point because I saw one of the otos go after the male and attempt to suck on him. He didn't get very far before the cichlid moved but he was surprisingly placid about it. I hope this doesn't cause a problem. There seems to be plenty of algae in my tank so I doubt if the otos are starving. They also have nice round bellies. Maybe I'll through an algae wafer in the tank just to keep them pacified for now.
Sorry for the long winded post but as you can imagine I'm very excited about my cockatoos. I'm hopeful that these little creatures will have a long and comfortable life in my tank. If anyone has any comments or advice on them please feel free to share.
. For almost six months I've been looking to get at least 2 females , the shop I bought them at is going to order me 2 or 3 females next week , we'll see what happens .
, though I have gotten a few good ones , and many reddish blurrs too 
.
