Have Any Of You?

[Truck]

as the description says have any if you kept dwarf cockatoo cichlids with tetra or minnows or live bearers?

i have never really been interested in cichlids until i was at the lfs and saw these. i have only ever kept bolivian rams before. i know they can be of an aggressive nature, but will they bully livebearers, tetras, minnows and shrimps. etc as i would love a pair as my centre peice.

 

[Corleone]

Apistos are peaceful, much like rams. They're still territorial, but as long as they've got space to set up shop, they're good community fish, should be just fine with what you list.

 

[Truck]

thanks for the reply been waiting for someone. do i have to have males or females. i want 2. is it safe to go with 2 females. as i want those as my centre peice.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yes fine, if you mix sexes they do better with a hareem of females to 1/2 males so don't get 1m and 1f. Can go with a pair of boys of a pair of girls safely.

just make sure you have at least 3/4 caves or hidey holes in the tank for them, they need 1 each plus a couple of extras.

 

[Truck]

oh ill think ill stick with rams or honey gouramis

 

[Miss Wiggle]

what puts you off them?

i'd take apisto's over rams or gourami's any day of the week and twice on sunday!

 

[Truck]

i just dont want to go putting a load of caves in my tank i want to keep it looking as simple and as natural looking as possible. i know caves occur in the wild but i dont want to adjust my tank. could i use half a 3 " terracota plant pot on its side? but im limited to what i can do becuase my tank is 60cm by 30 by 30cm. so floor space is limited. i would love a pair of plainly yellow females.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

well you can be creative with what you make into a cave, it doesn't have to be some ghastly plastic ornament you know!

a spot of heavy planting, a bit of driftwood, a couple of rocks lent up against each other..... all these things will make a cave of sorts which is plenty enough for the cockatoo's. If you've got a bit clump of something like java moss growing on some wood then this is brilliant for them, they will be darting in and out of it all the time.

cave may not be the right word, they just needs some spots of cover, little hidey holes, places that they can feel a bit secure when they need to or claim as their territory, you can be creative with what you use to make this.

 

[ChilliPepper]

I recommend coconut caves - they look really natural and are cheap. Most of my fish love them.

 

[Truck]

i have a corner of dense planting in my tank. i have recently added some HC which will carpet. i can give you a link of my tank which gives a few shots of where the the plants are situated. i wouldnt mind adding a slate cave or a terracota plant pot. any way heres the link. so ive got 1 hidey place covered.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=261227

the better pics towards the bottom.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah cool, if you just add something like 2/3 rocks kind of piled up together then this will naturally form a couple of different caves/hidey places and will fit in with your nice natural planted tank ethos

 

[Truck]

thanks for the help

 

[Truck]

what other things could i use as cover. my imagination is useless

 

[chesterscot]

you could arrange a few pieces of bog wood to make some crevices and hidey holes thats what ive done
scot

 

[Truck]

have you got any pics of your tank scot on the forum. like a diary or something