Male cockatoo agression. How to resolve

[bcs]

The structure looks better to me for sure. It's hard to tell how bright it is because I don't know the photo exposure, but I'm seeing algae growing on the substrate, which indicates an imbalance. You could reduce the light to address that, I keep mine really low.

That said, large rosettes of water lettuce like you have need a lot of light, so I'm not sure how well it will do in a low energy setup. Others on this forum have kept large water lettuce with success, but not me. There was a picture (I can't find now) where the tank was open at the top with a bright light from above, but a dense enough mat of water lettuce to shade the water below.

The light isn’t bad I am adding more water lettuce as we speak. The glare is bad but there is a but tonne in there now

 

[anewbie]

I find that water lettuce does ok with lower light the issue is that it hate current and wet leaves. So as long as the current is very low it will do well. Also even though the aquarium is only 12 inch top the water lettuce is a few inches from the light and there is no water to diffuse it.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

In case it is not clear i'm talking about leaf liter where the leaves are larger than 2inch x 4inch - with some as large as 6 x 4.

<"Magnolia grandiflora"> leaves are perfect for this, they form a complex, interlocking matrix and are very resistant to decomposition <"https://apistogramma.com/forum/threads/leaves-for-apistos.14590/">.

I have a lot susswassertang in these. The apisto tank had big clumps of it in the back and one in the front on the ride side. It's pretty effective at blocking lines of sight

Lomariopsis lineata is a fantastic plant (it is actually now my <"moss"> of choice), if any-one in the UK wants some? I have plenty spare.

The tank is lacking in structure and it is too small to keep them together in it permanently if that isn't changed.

I use the rule of thumb that if you can walk up to the tank and see any fish? You don't have enough structure. I don't have any "clear swimming space", it is just little pockets among the plants and leaves.

cheers Darrel

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

The light isn’t bad I am adding more water lettuce as we speak.

I'm a floating plant fan, have a look at <"https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what-is-the-“duckweed-index”-all-about.73647/">.

I have Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) in the tanks, I just don't use for the Duckweed Index, because <"of its leaf colour">.

cheers Darrel

 

[bcs]

Ok some updates. The decor really helped, spats decreased. There were still some, but at the end of the day they are still cichlids and the frequency was much lessened. However now the female keeps going into his territory. She’s colored up a bit, not full breeding as I’ve seen on the web, but some. She lays on her side and tries to get the males attention, which works but he just chases her away. Is this normal breeding behavior? Should I do a water change to entice the male? She keeps going back into his territory then getting chased or even nipped back out. Also her oviposter is out which I take to be a sign of breeding? (Sorry if that’s the wrong term)

 

[KenL]

Sounds like she is trying to entice the male but he is currently not interested.
I’m not sure that apistos are like Corydoras where a large water change can induce spawning.
Some (all) females only go fully yellow with black ventral fins after spawning.
Sounds like you have improved the situation, just be patient.

 

[Ben Rhau]

The behavior is a very good sign from the female. It's not too unusual for the male not to be ready to spawn yet, particularly since you rescaped the tank. I would just wait and feed well with conditioning foods. Breeding is very likely to happen if it hasn't already.

 

[bcs]

So update, I was mucking around in the tank, and I was removing what I thought would be their least favorite cave to replace it. Well what do I see? Eggs! So that’s good news. Not many, and that spawn will likely be aborted but eggs! Good sign yes?