Apisto Cacatuoides (School of 4)

Juvenile Cacatuoides (or Cockatoo) can be hard to sex. To ensure a nice mix of sexes and to keep these little dwarf cichlids feeling more at home, a small group of four might be a good purchase for a larger community tank.

Quick Facts

Care Guide

Tank setup: Give them a heater, a gentle filter, dim lighting and lots of plants, driftwood and leaf litter. Add a cave (a coconut shell or small clay pot) for each female. Most apistos prefer soft, slightly acidic water.

Feeding: Feed small pellets or flake once or twice a day. They also enjoy frozen foods like bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Tankmates: Keep them with small, peaceful fish such as tetras, rasboras, pencilfish, otocinclus and corydoras. A calm school of small "dither" fish helps apistos feel safe enough to come out. Keep one male per tank unless it is large and well planted, and avoid large or boisterous fish. Adults may eat small shrimp and baby shrimp.

Breeding: Apistos are cave spawners. The female lays her eggs inside a cave and guards the fry, while the male patrols the territory. One male with several females works well in a planted tank.

Good to know: Cockatoo apistos are among the hardiest apistogrammas and handle a wider range of water than most, which makes them a great first dwarf cichlid.