Apistogramma Cacatuoides Breeding Colour

[Seal36]

Is this the breeding colour of a female apistogramma from Tom

 

[Essjay]

She's on the way. When she is ready to spawn, she'll be a lot brighter yellow and the black markings will be very black.

 

[Seal36]

Would you be able to tell me how old she is based on size or not as she is still not ready for spawning and I'm wondering if she is still young from Tom

 

[Seal36]

Also do apistogramma like to breed in caves or in the open as I have put 2 coconut caves in there tank and taken out the boat, but the female apistogramma is digging a hole in the sand at the front of the tank from Tom

 

[Essjay]

I don't think it is possible to say how old she is from pictures.
But I can tell you that a female from an egg laid in my tank in April 2012 was mature enough to spawn on 1 Feb 2013.
 
My apistos have always spawned in caves or deep hollows in wood. They prefered caves with very small entrances.

 

[Seal36]

Ok thanks for that infomation. Both of the caves in the tank have small openings but one is 12cm in diameter and the other one is 8cm in diameter, the female is still digging the hole at the front of the tank but she will sometimes swim into the big cave but the male is in the small cave. Who prepares the cave ready for breeding and do you think they will go for the bigger or smaller cave from Tom

 

[Essjay]

With my fish, it's usually the female that choses the egg laying site.
But fish are awkward things and don't always go by the book. Apistos are supposed to be cave spawners, and the female is supposed to pile sand up in the entrance to seal herself and the eggs in and predators out. But a pair of mine have spawned several times in a hollow in a piece of wood six inches above the tank floor.