What Is The Cause Of A Male Cockatoo Apisto Killing His Female?

[Astyanax]

I used to have a pair of cockatoo apisto in a 120L tank with 10 cardinal tetras and 4 corys. The female died.I bought them together but they weren't placed in the same tank, she was with another fully grown male and the juvenile male was in another tank. He was more beautiful than the fully grown male so I took the juvenile male and the female.
The first couple of months he courted her, and she used to cope with it, but the last weeks I did notice that he used to chase her away every time he saw her, and she used to hide to eat.
It was suggested a few times to me that he might have killed her.
Today, I have been to my local lfs to see whether they could get me 2 females cacs as I am thinking that she simply couldn't cope with the pressure she endured by the non stop attentions of the male, so maybe with two females it will be easier for them to have some respite. After all, they have a harem, and maybe one female wasn't enough, though I was told again today that when they are ordered they come by pair.
When I told them that my female died, they themselves said that the male might have killed the female, because it does happen with them sometimes when they order some cacs and they put them together.
So now, I am wondering what would cause the male to kill the female in the first place? And how?  
 

 

[Byron]

This is a trait common with many species of cichlid.  I have seen it with Bolivian Rams and angelfish.  The fish do not always accept any mate, or they may do initially and then things change.
 
Most (but not all) Apistogramma are best in a harem with one male and two or three or four females.  Apistogramma cacatuoides is a species that does form a harem.  However, this requires some space, and the females may be feisty to each other especially when one is guarding eggs or fry.  A tank no less than 24 inches in length is minimum for a harem of 2 or 3 females and one male.  Your 120 litre (roughly 30 gallons) should be adequate.
 
As for the store not selling "harems" I would point out the facts to them, and if that doesn't work, find another store.
 
Byron.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I would add that I have experienced this phenomenon with a pair of colisa lalia (a gourammi) and a pair of Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi (a African riverine cichlid).
 
Of course, it may simply be she cheated on him?

 
Years back I was friendly whith Don Zilliox aka Zman. he basically wrote the book on apistos and spawning them. He actually gave me the pair of P nicholsi above in 2004. He retired from fish after that year but his articles are all over the net. Astyanax- I would recommend that you read this article by him:
 
Apistogrammas My Way  by Don Zilliox
http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Zilliox_Apistogrammas.html
 
If you Google his name, you will find more articles such as:
Apistogramma cacatuoides by Don Zilliox - Aquarticles
Crenicichla regani
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/crenicichla_regani.php
Taenicara candidi
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/taenicara_candidi.php
Microgeophagus ramirezi
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/m_ramirezi.php

 
 

 

[Akasha72]

I'm seeing similar with my Laetacara Curviceps pair. They had several spawns and seemed to be a good pair to begin with then just less than 2 years ago, when I got my Rio 240, I moved them with the rest of my stock. They spawned again within a week of being in the new tank but soon after I couldn't find my female (I left their spawn to be eaten by the community fish). I eventually found her hidden in the plants and that is where she has stayed ever since. Occasionally I see the male trying to court her but she's just not interested. She seems to get angry with him and then darts off to another hiding place. I've no idea if these cichlids need a harem or not - I've certainly never read any research to suggest they do. 
 
I often think that one day I'm going to find my female dead and if that happens it will be stress that causes it. Perhaps it was just pure stress that killed your female? Perhaps, like my female curviceps, she didn't want the attention and couldn't cope with it to such a degree that stress took it's toll?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'm wondering about the degree of cover, plants, caves, etc. that were in the tank.  It's always a good idea to have far more hiding spots in the tank than you think you will need.

 

[Astyanax]

They have got enough caves, it's like a maze. It was quite weird, when she vanished for a week, I decided to take all ornaments out until I find her, even then I couldn't find her. Thinking she had been eaten by the other fishes, I've cleaned the tank and  do a big water change and did put everything back in the tank. Then I fed the fishes, and half hour later, all of a sudden, her gutted body appeared on top of a flat cave. Where the hell was she?
Stress is I think what killed her, but he was nasty towards her at the end, 
My male is getting weird now, I just fed them and I saw him turn sideway and rub the sand with his side in a sporadic way? He is feeding though, but since the female is dead he is hiding all the time, as before he was always on the move in and out of hiding places.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Good to hear that you have good hiding spots...  

 

[Astyanax]

Is this enough hiding spots?
 
 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Most definitely.  

 

[snowflake311]

Like the other person said. these fish do best when kept as 1 male for 3 females. That might be your problem one pair that did not happen naturally will have a rocky relationship. 
 
If you really want a pair that will work it is best to get a group of 8 young fish and grow them out together. Once you see a pair form remove it to a breeding tank and sell the rest of the extra fish. 
 
Cichlids in the end are just crazy fish with complicated relationships. 
 
 
When a male fish kills a female fish it is because the female was so stressed out in time she just died. The male will harassed the female to mate nonstop.  If the female is not ready he will get frustrated and chance her aggressively. All the conflicts causes a lot of stress on the poor female that is getting chased and often beat up. In a small Fish tank they can never get away from each other no matter how many hiding places you have. In the wild this does not happen much because if the female is not interested she can swim far far away. But in a small tank under 50Gal The little male claims the whole tank and the female is trapped with him.