Apistogramma Cactuoides

[joeyg2100]

I am getting a pair of these fish later the week, and I am plaining on breeding these fish as the area I am in doesn't offer them at the LFS.
Question is do I need to remove the male when the fry hatch? I have heard people have removed them and some leave him in the tank.

Here is my setup for the fish:
35 gallon hex tank
heavly planted
drift wood
3 caves
Water conditions:
hardness 80
ph 7.8


I have never had these fish, and I think that they are a cool fish. Is there any info I should know about them. Thanks

 

[severum mama]

If I'm not mistaken, a. cacatuoides are harem spawners (polygamous), like many other apistogramma species. I think you'd be better off getting 1M/2-3F, but then there's the issue of the small footprint of a hex tank- this is why it's more difficult to stock a hex tank properly than a standard rectangular shape. I'm not quite sure what to think about stocking 3-4 apistos in a hex tank, but I guess it may be ok. I definitely wouldn't keep any bottom feeders with them though- the cockatoos will spend most of their time in the bottom 1/3 of the tank, which would make things awfully crowded.

I don't breed any of my fish so I can't really advise there. Good luck.

 

[ljse]

Remove the male if you notice that the female is beating him up.

 

[the Amazonian]

Just got two males they are sweeeeet, one red tail one yellow tail!!!

 

[mooman]

I've had apisto females be completely intolerant of the male once fry became freeswimming (heard stories of males being killed in as little as 24hrs in smaller tanks). I've also had females and males cooperate in fry care for weeks. VERY individual fish. You'll have to see how things go. put some floating plants (plastic or real) in the tank. In that size tank you should notice the male being driven to the top before long.

As for the whole harem thing. True in nature they are harem spawners, but in nature they live in 10 inches of water that is completely filled with leaf litter. This has the effect of breaking sight lines to an extent that would be hard to duplicate. When I'm looking to spawn a new apisto species I buy a male and 2-3 females put them together. Before long a male and female will pair up. At this point I remove the extra females. If left in the tank they are usually harrassed to no end by both the male and the alpha female. Once the alpha female spawns you can always move the male (sperm donor) to the other females tank. Maybe increase your yields.