Cacatuoides, Finally

[Arget]

I finally got the Apistogramma Cacatuoides that I've been want. I don't have any pictures yet, by the time I got home it was bed time for the fish. I am now the proud owner of a trio. They are the yellow ones with black markings. They're pretty small, my guppies are bigger then them. They should love the 55g. Now I know where to get them, the store that I got them from apparently gets them in with some regularlity. Still a bit of a drive. This is the first time that my LFS has failed me. My LFS only got them in one time, and it was three males. I was wanting a pair at least. This is the second time that I've ever seen them in real life, the last time was at my LFS back in October. An hour long drive through a large city is not fun. Not when you're trying to get to the pet store before the very hard to find fish is gone. Not when it's cold. Not when it's dusk by the time you get home. I was very lucky, I got the last ones in the store. I did think about asking if they had some other cichlids, but did not want to dawdle and lose my chance at the Cacatuoides.

 

[Arget]

Checked on them this morning, and the male was lost. The larger female has an injury, but that could have happened at any time. the only one that I'm not worried about is the smaller female. Is there any breeders in SE Kansas? I don't seem to have any luck with stores.

 

[coralbandit]

Some apisto will kill each other.
Do you have a picture of fish.
All yellow and black any apisto is a female..If all three looked that color I would bet they were all female?
I have hongsloi pairs for sale now.

 

[Arget]

Thee that died had yellow fins with black markings. It was the most colorful, but not the biggest. At the store they called them standard, which is a color form that I've never heard. I kinda got my heart set on the Cacatuoides, and they're proving very hard to find. I'd prefer to pick any fish up directly, I don't trust shipping them, and they'd have to be within a few hours so the drive is not long. I'd also have to know the area where I'd pick them up, taking the scenic route is not fun, though it can be interesting. I know how to care for the females, I've got a Betta Sorority that's been setup for a while, and they've already had a few spats.

 

[smallfry53]

I'm no apisto expert, so I can't help you there, but I have had several fish shipped to me. I've had zero doa. Only had one issue with someone that decided that kuhli loaches didn't need a heat pack when being shipped to ohio in November.... because, "I didn't request one". None were doa, but I did lose a few within a couple days. I wouldn't be so scared to have fish shipped. That's how they get to the fish store...

I do wonder if your parameters just aren't conducive to keeping apistos though...

 

[Arget]

I can easily keep guppies. The Java Loaches are doing very well with the Sorority. The Goldfish are outgrowing the 90g. Cockatoo Apistos are the most forgiving of the Dwarf Cichlids when it comes to water parameters. My tap water is 7.6. Even the Julidochromis pair are doing fine. I have leaf litter, a piece of driftwood, and a half dozen clay pots in the tank. I even did a small water change. Granted it was rather cold yesterday, and I forgot to take my lunchbox, which works very well when used for transporting new fish home. I've done plenty of research, and would not have tried if I didn't think that the tank was unsuitable.

 

[smallfry53]

I know what you're saying, and maybe there was just one or more that were aggressive for some reason. I didn't mean that you didn't research, but I guess what I was thinking is if the ph is 5.0 the fish are raised in, 7.6 might be a stretch.

 

[Arget]

The tank water is soft, when I changed a bit of it yesterday the water was tea colored. The smallest one is the one that I've got the most hope for. I'm somewhat worried about them getting enough to eat. The guppies are a challenge to prevent them from stealing the cichlids food.

 

[coralbandit]

Are they in the same tank with the Julidochromis?

 

[Arget]

Julies are in a 20g with stone. Cacatuoides are in a 55g with the guppies, driftwood, and leaf litter.

 

[coralbandit]

Julies are in a 20g with stone. Cacatuoides are in a 55g with the guppies, driftwood, and leaf litter.

Thanks man ..Just thinking that Julis are conspecific and the apisto is shaped close enough to deserve a beating in the julis eyes !

 

[Arget]

Here are the pictures of the Apistos. The one of the male is still in the bag, I don't have any other pictures of him. Shortly after I released them from the bag I put the fish to bed, and he was dead by morning. Please ignore the female guppy in the first image, they are everywhere. The other picture is the females, which I still have.

 

[coralbandit]

I see what you mean by yellow and black. Not red cauc.. It is a color variation.That looks like he was a male .Tank looks nice and water sounds proper..
You going to get another male ? Can you?

 

[Arget]

I might be able to, but when I got them they were the second time that I've ever seen them. my LFS was able to get three red/black males in October, but I haven't seen them since. They have trouble getting them in. I'm not sure if the two that I've got are females, they're small, as in they might still be juveniles, and if they are then one or both might end up being male. My guppies are bigger then they are. I had to drive an hour to get them, into big city traffic, on a very cold day, and then drive another hour to get them home. Gas is not very cheap, so I doubt that I'll get up there again to find another male anytime soon, not something that I'd risk if they don't have them in stock. They cost more then I'd have liked, but they're hard to find, and they also sell fast.

 

[coralbandit]

Try HAAS fish club of Kansas city .That is your local club...
There are many breeders involved.

 

[Arget]

I did. They're the ones that recommended the store where I got them.

 

[Arget]

Okay, it's been a while. I only have one Apisto. left from the pet store, the larger of the two females. She looks like she might have a tumor. I got three more, two males and one female. Those three I got online, and they already look very good. I don't think that they had enough females in stock, but it worked out okay. They got here yesterday and seem to be doing very well. I got them to eat, which is always a major concern when getting new fish. I might have to see if they have any more females the next time I go up to the pet store, best case scenario the males will have one female each, and live on opposite sides of the tank. Worst case is one male dead, and the female with the tumor dead as well. I can have about six of them total, I have a half dozen flower pots and the driftwood has a spot that they can hide in very well, one of them has already done so while exploring the tank. I also have leaf litter in the tank, Oak leaves to be exact, and my LFS can order in Catappa leaves. Getting more flower pots is also easy and the tank can be rearranged if needed.

The first picture is the female that I think might have a tumor. The second has both females and the larger of the two males. The third one is the smaller male, but he has more color in his fins. The last is the tank as it is now. The guppies tend to be an issue, I was trying to take a few good pictures, but they kept getting in the way.