Breeding Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid

Breeding Apistogramma cacatuoides: a cave-spawning dwarf cichlid. Sexing the larger colourful male, harem setup with caves, female-tended eggs and microbe-rich fry rearing.

Overview

The Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma cacatuoides) is a substrate/cave spawner from Amazon basin tributaries in Peru and Colombia. It normally lays its eggs in crevices or cavities among the decor, and the female is responsible for post-spawning care. The KB record rates breeding difficulty as intermediate.

Sexing

Males are larger, more colourful and develop more extended fins than females. The male reaches a body length of about 8 cm, while the female is considerably smaller at around 5 cm; males show red/orange dorsal and caudal fins with elongated leading rays, while females are duller with a pale yellow background. Both sexes share a dark line running from the eye to the bottom of the gill cover.

Conditioning

The species is often kept in a harem, with one male and several females, each female holding a territory of roughly 30 cm radius. Some wild specimens may require values of pH 5.0-6.0 in order to breed.

Breeding Setup

Suitable spawning decor includes ceramic flowerpots, lengths of plastic piping and arrangements of wood roots and branches that create plenty of shady spots and caves. Adding dried leaf litter encourages microbe colonies that can provide a valuable secondary food source for the fry. Fast-swimming tank mates should be avoided as they will consume fry.

Spawning Behavior & Egg Care

The female places her salmon-coloured eggs on the roof of a cavity or underneath a leaf, then tends them herself while the male guards the surrounding territory. In confined spaces aggressive maternal behaviour may make it necessary to remove the male.

Common Challenges

Achieving sufficiently acidic water can be necessary for wild fish to spawn, and the female's aggression toward the male in small tanks may require separating the pair.