Breeding apisto cacatuoides and their behavior

[julianh808]

Hey all!

I have a trio of cacatuoides set up in a community tank with a few terracotta pots to serve as caves. The male paired off with one of the females and she spawned about ten days ago. They were protecting the corner where the cave was and driving the other female and other fish away. The eggs made it to the wiggler stage (i think it was around day 6-7) but the male made his way into the cave and picked them off.
Now, the male is chasing the female that recently spawned with the same level of aggression as the other female. I was just curious if this was normal? Will he revert back if she spawns or is ready to spawn again?

Since the unfortunate day, I've moved most of the other fish to another tank. I've also added a few more pots to serve as caves. I chipped off a chunk along the lip of the pot to add an opening. Previously, I placed them upside down. Now I have them partially dug into the sand horizontally. Is one orientation better than the other?

Two weeks ago, I bought a batch of adult brine shrimp from my LFS. I think this may have been a contributing factor to induce a spawn. There was also a few relatively hot days that raised the tank's temperature. I live in Hawaii and the temperature in the tank fluctuates between 74-80 F. Would a steady temperature be better?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions! Please let me know if there is more information necessary.

Thanks!

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Now, the male is chasing the female that recently spawned with the same level of aggression as the other female. I was just curious if this was normal? Will he revert back if she spawns or is ready to spawn again?

The problem is that he will drive the non-receptive females out of his tank, and wait for a receptive one to turn up. He doesn't "know" that there are only two females and that another one isn't going to turn up. If one of the females gets back into breeding condition he will court her rather than driving her away.

I never got on very well with two females (or more than one male), more females are all right if you have enough floor area, that spreads aggression. I really like a lot of cover in the tanks (see below), they are basically full of plants, structural leaves and wood and this gives the fish much more chance of hiding and regaining condition.

Since the unfortunate day, I've moved most of the other fish to another tank. I've also added a few more pots to serve as caves. I chipped off a chunk along the lip of the pot to add an opening. Previously, I placed them upside down. Now I have them partially dug into the sand horizontally. Is one orientation better than the other?

I have them placed vertically with a very small hole in the rim. The male doesn't need to enter the cave.

cheers Darrel

 

[julianh808]

Hey dw1305,

I'll add some more plants to provide a bit more cover for the females.

Thanks for the reply!