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A. Cacatuoides sexing/breeding questions

Alex 1999

New Member
Messages
3
HI! I am new to apistos, and I have two, they were sold as a pair, so I am hoping that they are male and female but after reading some peoples posts about sneaker males I am nervous. I have some pictures and I have been watching their behaviors, the supposed female is slightly yellower, as well as smaller. They don't seem to fight, and will swim near each other without any issues.
So I think that they are a pair, and so I am hoping to casually breed them, like very casually, since I don't plan to remove them from the display tank if possible. I was wondering what temps and such they should be at, I can't seem to find it, maybe I'm not looking well enough... Well I could use some help!
Thanks for reading, now time for some pictures!
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ButtNekkid

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
315
Location
Finland
Hi,

I keep them in:
1 dGH
3 dKH
120-140 µS
24-26 Celsius ,75-78 Fahrenheit

They breed in this water without problems.
I remember them being "whitewater" species. If they are, they like slightly harder water just fine.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
HI! I am new to apistos, and I have two, they were sold as a pair,
They look like a male and female.

The plant in the first photo, the one with the stripy leaf immediately behind the female, isn't an aquatic plant, it is a <"Dracaena">. It really annoys me that these are still being sold as "aquarium plants".

If you are in the UK? PM me and I can send you some suitable plants (for p&p). I always have spare plants.

cheers Darrel
 

Garri Ausmus

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
38
I am in the process of raising two spawns from my pair in their own 55 gallon tank, i have found if you drop their temp.... I yanked the heaters, and got 2 spawns from my pair 29 days apart. 72 degrees and below produce a better sex ration in the spawn. If you spawn them at 80 they produce smaller batches of fry and mostly males. my house temp stays 69 to 70 degrees and that is what their tank stays at. both spawns were in a 10 gallon tank. This picture shows both spawns looking lengthwise into their tanks. I just moved the pair out
Apistogramma cacatuoides_5-27-2017.JPG
of the frys tank at 1 week.
 

FishKeeper86

New Member
Messages
3
I am also new to breeding and new to Apistos and have a similar concern/question. I purchased a male Cacatuoides about 3mo ago and then picked up a female (hopefully) this last weekend. I have added them both to a 20gal community tank while I set up a 10gal breeding tank. However, the male has been chasing the female (pictured below); is this normal behavior for a male a female just added to the same tank? I would think that he would be displaying his fins to her rather than being aggressive. So... do you think this is a female? Do you have suggestions? THANKS!
 

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FishKeeper86

New Member
Messages
3
Domestic forms of A. cacatuoides can be hard to sex. How large is this fish? Are the tips of the dorsal and anal fins pointed or rounded.

Fins are pointed and she/he is about an inch long (definitely smaller than the male, but that might be due to age/maturity if not a sexual dymorphism)...

NOTE: This morning the two are in close proximity and the larger is *not* be aggressive (but it's still early in the day...).

The smaller of the two appeared to turn yellowish yesterday. This morning that yellow-coloration is gone and she appears darker.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
If 1" long and has pointed tips, it's a very good chance that it is a male. Smaller, subdominant males often take on female colors to avoid aggression by dominant males.
 

FishKeeper86

New Member
Messages
3
If 1" long and has pointed tips, it's a very good chance that it is a male. Smaller, subdominant males often take on female colors to avoid aggression by dominant males.

Well that's disappointing. My LFS owner gave me the strong impression it was a female. Recommendations for how to buy a female online?
 

Garri Ausmus

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
38
If 1" long and has pointed tips, it's a very good chance that it is a male. Smaller, subdominant males often take on female colors to avoid aggression by dominant males.
I agree with Mike on this one, juvies also are tough to sex as the are so similar but he is correct about the pointed or rounded fins. here are pictures of my pair, the first two are the female and the last is my male
fire01.JPG
fire02.JPG
super red male.jpg
 

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