Apistogramma Cacatuoides foster parent

[namek]

Hello,

So, my Cacatuoides male died the past week and this saturday i bought a new one. To my surprise, today i saw the female with free swimming fry coming out of her cave.
Also to my surprise it appears that the new male is helping her protect the area from the ottocinctus and the amber tetras that are also in the tank.
Is this a common behavior? Does the male thinks that they are his fry?

 

[anewbie]

Male cacatuoides don't help care for the fry rather they claim a territory and protect it. He obviously found 'his' territory. Do not be surprise if the female snaps at him.

 

[namek]

ok, thanks, any chance that any fry survive with him in the tank? its a small (40 liters) tank, heavily planted.

 

[anewbie]

The female should protect them. However, if the female beats him up you might have to remove him to protect him from her. It is somewhat dependent on individual fishes as to her aggression level but a 40 is probably too small for such a large fish regardless of scaping.