4 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Territorial near caves; keep one male with several females.
114 species in our list are a good match.
Territorial near caves; keep one male with several females.
Frozen foods, small pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
How hard to tell: Easy
Tip: Very obvious
From the checked notes: “Males are much larger, more colourful and have longer fins, including the tall, comb-like dorsal fin. Females are smaller and turn yellow when guarding.” Numbers sit on the part of the body each difference is about. Tap a picture to see it bigger.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner · Moderate
Cave spawner: eggs are laid on the ceiling of a cave or crevice; the female cares for the eggs and fry while the male guards the territory. In small tanks the male may need removing.
Keep one male with 2-3 females in a large tank. Males are bold; keep the group small.
A 20 gallon (75 L) tank with caves or coconut shells, 24-26 C and soft acidic water.
Soft, slightly acidic water and live foods. Females turn yellow when ready.
Usually about 80-125 eggs (reports up to 200); the female guards the fry until and for several weeks after they swim freely.
Feed baby brine shrimp and microworms. Remove the male after spawning. Fry follow the mother for several weeks.
Named for the male's tall, cockatoo-like dorsal fin (cacatuoides means 'like a cockatoo'). One of the most popular Apistogramma; many line-bred colour forms exist, such as 'double red', 'triple red' and 'orange flash'.
Dutch ichthyologist Jan J. Hoedeman described this dwarf cichlid in 1951. Males have long, spiky front dorsal rays that look like a cockatoo's crest. Captive breeders have developed vivid 'double red' and orange-flag forms.
First described by Jan J. Hoedeman in 1951.
16 facts checked with sources
Valid name. Seriously Fish: listed as DATZ A200, with possibly conspecific locality forms A201-A203. The type locality was first given wrongly as Paramaribo, Suriname, later corrected by Kullander to the Amazon basin.
FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summaryLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded.
FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summarySeriously Fish: males 7.5 cm SL, females 5.0 cm SL (standard length). Legacy 8 cm is within rounding of the male size. FishBase's 5.0 cm SL matches females only.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoides · Wikipedia: Apistogramma cacatuoides (cites FishBase) · FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summaryLegacy 24-28 sits inside Seriously Fish's 22-29.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoides · FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summarySources disagree: Seriously Fish (preferred for husbandry) gives 5.0-6.0; FishBase 6.0-8.0. Legacy 5.0-7.5 spans both. Seriously Fish notes captive-raised fish suit the general community, which suggests they are more tolerant than wild fish.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoides · FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summaryLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish range recorded.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoides · FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summarySeriously Fish gives a 60 x 30 cm base (~54 L) for a single pair: 60 x 30 x 30 cm = 54 L. A harem needs more. Legacy 60 L is slightly more generous.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoidesNo minimum group size from a reliable source. Wikipedia (uncited) suggests pairs, trios or harems; Seriously Fish sizes the tank for a single pair. Legacy advice of one male with several females is consistent.
Wikipedia: Apistogramma cacatuoides (cites FishBase)Territorial, especially males with each other and females guarding fry, but suitable for a community of peaceful fish. Seriously Fish says a guarding female may become hyper-aggressive in small tanks.
Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine: The Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (Mike Hellweg; established hobby reference) · Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoidesBottom-feeding cave spawner.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoidesLegacy 2 = moderate.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoidesLegacy has no range field. IUCN: Least Concern (assessed 30 November 2020, per FishBase).
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoides · FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summaryThe yellow brood colour of females (legacy) is not quoted in these sources but is a standard Apistogramma trait.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoidesMatches legacy.
Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoides · FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summaryLegacy 40-120 eggs fits the sourced counts. Legacy hatch time (3-4 days) was not found in any source checked; treat it as unverified.
FishBase: Apistogramma cacatuoides summary · Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine: The Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (Mike Hellweg; established hobby reference)'Most popular' is not quoted in a source; the line-bred forms confirm wide trade popularity.
Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine: The Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (Mike Hellweg; established hobby reference) · Seriously Fish: Apistogramma cacatuoides