Cockatoo Stocking in a 65L

[danielb]

How many Cockatoo Cichlids (Apistogramma cacatuoides) would be recommend to stock in a tall 65L planted tank? I've read the recommend ratio is one male and at least two females, so I was thinking of stocking one male & two females. The other inhabitents are a male fighting fish, two zebra loaches, a bristlenose plec and some Endler's Livebearers. Theres a big bit of bogwood in the tank with lots of caves and hiding holes in it.

[wickedglass]

are you intending on breeding them? If you are, get rid of the clown loaches as they will definitelty bother the breeders. 2 females might be ok if you have the tank divided by a visual boundary and a cave set up in each side for the girls to form a territory. My inclination would be to have just a pair. The fighter, the bristlenose and the endlers might end up a little battered if the cacs decide to breed, but should be ok if the tank is planted and there are plenty of places for them to hide from the pair. Also if they do breed, keep a dim light on overnight so the parents can protect the fry, otherwise they may be breakfast, lunch and dinner for the other fish in the tank. A light will make the guarding job of the parents a lot easier.

[fishgeek]

Daniel i find volume of water less important than footprint or surface area

I generally start with 2 sq feet for each male fish and allow then 1 sq ft within this territory for females
With experience you will find you can get away with less in some fish

As has been mentioned already i think that the other fish you have , namely the BN and loaches , will all be competing for floor space and may mean that that your tank is too small for all of the fish

I would probably not start wih more than a pair , then again a second female could diffuse some aggression if it arise's
Best to have a spare tank space if needed though

Andrew

[TW]

I recently got a pair of these fish & they are with 2 otos & 2 endlers. They're in a 75L. Where I bought them, they seem to be sold in pairs only.

I've been lucky & my pair are really good buddies, with never aggression between them. They had an unsuccessful batch of eggs, which I think the female may have eaten when she realised they were not fertile. But even then there was no aggression in the tank. The female guarded the eggs & the male patrolled the area up & down in front of the "nest", but maybe because I didn't have many other fish in there to cause a bother, there was no need to be aggressive. Occasionally they tried to move an oto on, who ignored them, & then they didn't bother further.

Because this set-up worked so well, I'd be reluctant to add more fish to my tank. Possibily only something small like endlers or maybe 2 pencil fish.

Good luck with your cacatuoides, I really enjoy these fish. They're easy to feed & are peaceful (at least mine are).