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Cacatuoides Harem in 55 gallon

DocAwkward

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As for caves, the more the better and the more different types better still. As for entrances, they should be narrower than one would expect. They only need to be high enough to allow the female enter laying on her side, say 1/2"/1.25cm high. Larger openings are OK if the female can cover most of it with substrate. The interior of the cave, of course, should be more spacious.
Thank you, Mike. I'll tinker with the coconut hut opening to make it smaller. I see you're in Denver, as am I. Switching gears, the females have started to occasionally have these "mini stand-offs." It's odd, they will graze alongside each other at times, they will stay on opposite sides of the tank most of the time, but they have also been doing these stand-offs. The male even seems to "break up" the scuffle by getting in between the two females and flipping his tail. Just wondering if this behavior is concerning, or if it normal establishment of a dominant female in a harem tank. There is no damage to either female, and they seem to "leave it be" after they flair dorsal fins and wrestle a little. But it happens once every 5 or 10 minutes. I hope this isn't going to turn into one female relentlessly dominating the other female. Any dangerous behaviors I should be especially keen on between females? Thank you.
 

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DocAwkward

New Member
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Hi all,

When I kept Apistogramma cacatuoides I found that two wasn't a good number of females for that reason, <"three of more is better">, but you need enough basal space for all the females.

This thread has a little more detail about <"fry stealing">

cheers Darrel
Thank you, I appreciate the link to the other thread. A third female would be pushing it in terms of space. They are in a 55 gallon, but I have a matten filter on the left side cutting off 6 to 8 inches of length of the tank. I'll pull a female if it gets worse. Then a single pair will have an entire 55 gallon, haha! I'll increase the plant volume in the tanks mid and top level, as well. More 3d complex as you suggest. Thank you for your guidance!
 

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