What do I do when my Cockatoos do this...

[ardenen]

I have a pair of Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlids that spawned in a 20gal long tank. I've let both parents stay in the tank for a few days now (about 5 since I spotted the free swimming fry). The father (I think) has been chomping on a stray baby or two but there still seems to be quite a herd and the mother is doing a good job keeping the dad away.
That was untill today... the female has been swimming between the pack of babies and her "chosen" cave. Also she's been doing her breeding dance in front of the male again. I took the male out because he now has too much access to the fry.
Should I take the female out too? Do you guys think she's past her maternal stage and will start eating the fry? I read on another post here that sometimes when the mother is going to lay or has laid another batch of eggs she eats the existing fry because they're a threat to her new babies.
Any thoughts or ideas are welcome.

Thanks

 

[ardenen]

Oookay... well...

So far so good I guess.... the female has still been hanging out in her cave a little bit but when I feed or look at the fry she comes over and guards them.

 

[Neil]

ardenen,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

I have found that it is usually not the male that causes the problem with fry diappearing. However, he is usually the catalyst. If the female is ready to spawn again, she is like to clean house and use the resources of the 1st batch of fry for a second. The male is usually inclined to raise the first and want to make a second as soon as possible. He will then chase the first away, but usually not eat them. He want his genes passed on as much as possible.
However, these are complex animals and will behave differently everytime. When you think that you have figured out exactly what their pattern of behavior is, they change it. So you kind of have to go with the flow and use "feel" as well as knowledge for determining who to pull and when. It requires a little more than science to be good at breeding these guys.
Good luck,
Neil

 

[ardenen]

Hmm... maybe I don't have typical apistos?

I took the male out before I thought the female had spawned again. Turned out I was wrong... I found a fresh batch of babies two or three days ago... about 1.5wks after the first batch hatched! The mother stayed with the newbies for a little while but today I noticed she's having a hard time keeping track of all of her kids so she just checks on them all once in a while.
She hasn't eaten any of the bigger ones - and the bigger ones are leaving the little ones alone... but the tank is getting crowded!

 

[farm41]

Hmm... maybe I don't have typical apistos?

but the tank is getting crowded!

That's the fun part, start looking around for room to put more tanks, they grow up fast.

 

[ardenen]

Heh... I wish...

I wish I had room to put up twenty tanks to hold all of my Cockatoo's so I could breed the babies and also buy some new blood... I REALLY like these fish!
Alas... I do not have room - and I'm keeping Discus as well so they get the large aquarium. So I'll have to find a LFS who will take 40+ fish... or get rid of them on aquabid.com - but that takes a lot of work and equipment.
Anyone on here need any Double Reds?

BTW - does anyone breed the apistogramma sp. cacatuoides for their mouths very blue mouths? I think that would look kindof neet... but that's just me.

 

[Neil]

ardenen,
A. cacatuoides is probably the best of all the apistos for an LFS to carry. You can usually trade in 6 to 12 at a time. Many stores will do this if you just do it for credit at their store. There are always things a fishkeeper needs at the LFS. If you have several stores in your area and sell a few at a club auction, that should go a long way to helping you clear house.
Neil