firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I'm thinking about getting some Apistogramma cacatuoides. But I have a few questions first. Do they dart around the tank like blue rams do? Are they compatiable with blue rams? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I just got some today from Bilbo. Very nice fish. mine are not darting, but they are certainly checking out the tank. Very nice fish. I would say better than rams, but thats just my opinion. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 PS, I will put up some pics once they settle in a bit more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Nice fish that's for sure Different kettle of fish to blue rams they tend to chill out alot more and can hide if there aren't other more confident fish in the tank, if you get a pair it is very likely they will breed in a community tank females go off and find somewhere secret to lay. How big is your tank? They can get along with blue rams but would depend on tank size obviously both being cichlids they can have their tiffs as long as there is room for both of them then it should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Its a 100 litre tank. I'm thinking of having 5 or 6 Apistogramma cacatuoides and 2 blue rams (already have them) with the shark and 2 gbas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 IMO 5-6 wouldn't be that good in a tank that size.. Maybe a pair? Once they start breeding the cockatoo's that aren't breeding will be chased around by the pair and then probably by the blue rams at the other end of the tank.. Just my opinion though might be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 i hadn' really thought about aggression during breeding . What are the chances that they breed tho? And how agressive could they get? like kill each other agressive. i'd really liked the idea of having quite a few little dwarf cichlids. Or Would 2 Apistogramma cacatuoides, 2 blue rams and 2 bolivian rams work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 They are very likely to breed if you have a boy and girl, maybe not successfully raising fry but they will still be protective. I don't know how well the 3 different types of cichlids would go in a 100L tank probably not too well if one of them is quite dominant then may dominate the others.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Would 4 bolivian rams and 2 blue rams be safer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 but ... but that defeats the whole purpose of having cockatoos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Yeah, i know.... i really want the cockatoos, but if they're not going to get along happily and the bolivians and rams would then i'd go for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Cockatoo's would be fine.. But there is a limit to how many fish that need their own space you can stick in a 100L tank, if your 4 boliv's pair off then they may do the same thing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I haven't had much experience with cichlids, thanks for all you help What size tank suits a pair of cockatoos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 my tank is bigger than that, but i had all those fish with no probs... i didnt want them breeding though, but all the squabbles that they had were quite civil...there are lots of plants though so that makes for excellent hiding spaces. you could maybe try it out, and then if it didnt work sell the fish? i usually do that, and never end up selling any of my fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Thats what i was thinking too. and if i got 3 pairs out of 6 of them, i've got 2 smaller tanks i could put them in temporaily if they get too agressive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 If you have the tanks then its worth a nudge.. Generally I give stocking advice based on people only having one tank and wanting them to get along long term which is where it gets difficult Make sure you post with your experiences, if you want cockatoo's I just got a male off bilbo and they're very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 My other tanks that i could put them in are small, 50litre and a 30 litre. the tank that i want them in is 75cm long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracytrout Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 When I had 2 pairs of Cockatoos in my 4ft tank they paired off ok but there was a dominant male and he was not going to have a bar of another male in the tank and chased the other male relentlessly round the tank so I removed one pair to a breeding tank. Also the female when she's in breeding colours can be quite aggressive towards other fish even ones a lot bigger than her and less aggressive dwarf cichlids like the bolivians/butterfly rams might get really stressed. Guess it will depend on what cichlids you decide to get and how many Good Luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 :oops: whoops mean to be a pm :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Meant to be a PM? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Most cichlids especially males and especially when breeding are more intolerant of their own kind than any other fish unless it is their partner which is why you want to stick to single males or pairs or large groups to spread the aggression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 thanks for the advice, i think i'll have to re-think my plans now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Got mine at about 10am today. By 10pm today, I got this EXcuse the dirty glass :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I have at the moment 40+ cockatoo's in a 50ltr tank without any issues, they even eat from my fingers. I also have had another 50ltr tank with 2 pairs of rams, 2 panduro, 2 other apisto's (possibly borellii) and a pair of cockatoo's and a few misc tetra's, guppies and bristlenoses with no problems at all. Rams even bred in there. It is good advice to give them some of there own space and I have seen them get a bit protective of there fry but very seldom with cockatoo's get agressive beyond a bit of chasing. (unlike agassizi which are just plain mean when they have fry) For dwarf's is not the volume that matter as much as the size of the foot print because they will hang around middle to bottom most of the time. Dither fish like guppies or danios that hang around the top will help alot to bring them out for food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 So, Bilbo, do you think i should try getting 5 or 6 cockatoos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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