| Apistogramma cacatuoides | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A. cacatuoides | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Apistogramma |
| Species: | A. cacatuoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Apistogramma cacatuoides | |
Apistogramma cacatuoides or the cockatoo dwarf cichlid is a South American cichlid and the Apistogramma species most commonly bred in captivity.
The male cockatoo dwarf cichlid reaches a body length of 8 centimetres. The female is considerably smaller, reaching only 5 centimetres. The body shape is long and of middle height and the mouth is rather big with thick lips. The male is more colorful than the female, usually with red/orange dorsal and caudal fins. The leading 3 or 4 hard rays are elongated, and the ventral fins are clear. In color, the female is quite dull but with a clear black line running along her flanks. Her background color is a pale yellow, but this will become vibrant when mating or brood protecting. In addition, she lacks the elongated dorsal rays of the male and her ventral fins show a black leading edge. There are several color forms which naturally occur in the wild; these include blues, yellows and some reds. Because of selective breeding the colors are now much more pronounced. Both sexes have a dark line leading from the eye to the bottom of the gill flap.
The cockatoo dwarf cichlid is found in the Amazon River basin, in tributaries of the Ucayali, Amazon and Solimões rivers from the Pachitea River to Tabatinga in Peru and Colombia where it lives in small shallow streams or lagoon-like waters in the rain forest. The fish prefer a water temperature between 24 and 28 °C. The bottom of these waters is covered with leaves that are used by the fish for hiding. [2]
The female places her eggs inside the roof of a cavity [2] or underneath a leaf. She takes care of the eggs by herself, [2] while the male guards the territory. The eggs are salmon colored.
One of the more interesting traits of Apistogramma cacatuoides is that of "sneaker" males. Due to the aggressive, territorial nature of the males, a submissive male will not develop the full "cockatoo" finnage nor the full male coloration. He will "pretend" to be a female and take any opportunities presented to mate with willing females. If the dominant male then dies, this submissive male will then develop the full finnage.
Small aquaria (less than 120 litres) should be avoided if more than a single pair is to be kept, as a female will protect an area of approximately 30 centimeters in radius. If breeding is to be attempted in a community aquarium, fast-swimming fish should be avoided as they will poach the fry from the female A. cacatuoides.
The cockatoo dwarf is one of the best suited cichlid species for the planted aquarium. But because the male is highly territorial, the fish should be kept in pairs, trios (one male with two females), or harems (one male with many females), and in the company of peaceful tankmates like tetras. In the case of very large Aquariums, more males can be kept together, provided there is plenty of territory, such as wood, heavy planting, and caves. Females also can be highly territorial, not only when in brood care.
Water conditions should be maintained in the pH 6.5-pH 8.0 range. These are one of the few South American Dwarf Cichlids that can tolerate alkaline water.[ citation needed ]
The black phantom tetra, or simply phantom tetra, is a small freshwater fish of the characin family (Characidae) of order Characiformes. It is native to the upper Paraguay basin and upper Madeira basin in Brazil and Bolivia. It is commonly seen in the aquarium trade.
Parachromis managuensis is a large species of cichlid native to freshwater habitats in Central America, where found from Honduras to Costa Rica. The scientific name refers to Lake Managua in Nicaragua from where the holotype was obtained. It is a food fish and is also found in the aquarium trade where it is variously known as the jaguar cichlid, managuense cichlid, managua cichlid, guapote tigre, Aztec cichlid, spotted guapote and jaguar guapote. In Costa Rica it is known as the guapote tigre. Males grow to a total length of 35 centimetres (14 in) and females to 30 centimetres (12 in).
Hemichromis is a genus of fishes from the cichlid family, known in the aquarium trade as jewel cichlids. Jewel cichlids are native to Africa. Within West Africa, Hemichromis species are found in creeks, streams, rivers and lakes with a variety of water qualities including brackish water lagoons.
Flowerhorn cichlids are ornamental aquarium fish noted for their vivid colors and the distinctively shaped heads for which they are named. Their head protuberance, or kok, is formally termed a nuchal hump. Like blood parrot cichlids, they are man-made hybrids that exist in the wild only because of their release. Flowerhorns first emerged for sale on the aquarium market in Malaysia in the late 1990s and soon became popular in many countries in Asia. First developed in Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan, they became very popular with Asian fish hobbyists. They are also kept by hobbyists in the US, India and Europe. Numerous cast-off flowerhorns have been released to the wild, especially in Singapore and Malaysia, where they have become an invasive pest animal. Their importation is banned in Australia.
The convict cichlid is a fish species from the family Cichlidae, native to Central America, also known as the zebra cichlid. Convict cichlids are popular aquarium fish and have also been the subject of numerous studies on fish behaviour.
The dwarf gourami is a species of gourami native to South Asia.
The blue ram, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, is a species of freshwater fish endemic to the Orinoco River basin, in the savannahs of Venezuela and Colombia in South America. The species has been examined in studies on fish behaviour and is a popular aquarium fish, traded under a variety of common names, including ram, blue ram, German blue ram, Asian ram, butterfly cichlid, Ramirez's dwarf cichlid, dwarf butterfly cichlid and Ramirezi. The species is a member of the family Cichlidae and subfamily Geophaginae.
The lemon tetra is a species of tropical freshwater fish which originates from South America, belonging to the family Characidae. It is a small tetra growing to 5 cm in length. The species is a long established favourite aquarium fish, being introduced to the aquarium in 1932.
Pelvicachromis pulcher is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family, endemic to Nigeria and Cameroon. It is popular amongst aquarium hobbyists, and is most commonly sold under the name kribensis, although it has other common names, including various derivatives and color morphs of the kribensis: krib, common krib, red krib, super-red krib and rainbow krib, along with rainbow cichlid and purple cichlid.
Mikrogeophagus altispinosus is a species of fish endemic to the Amazon River basin in Brazil and Bolivia. The species is part of the family Cichlidae and subfamily Geophaginae. It is a popular aquarium fish, traded under the common names Bolivian butterfly, Bolivian ram, Bolivian ram cichlid, and ruby crown cichlid.
The eyespot rasbora is a small fish belonging to the Family Cyprinidae, subfamily Danioninae, which is known by the common names of ocellated rasbora, hi-spot rasbora, and eye-spot rasbora, an allusion to the marking situated upon the dorsal fin. This small fish is a popular aquarium fish, having been one of the species featured in the landmark textbook Exotic Aquarium Fishes by Dr William T. Innes. Its appearance in this work only occurs in later editions of the book, however, therefore the species is not subject to the same degree of aquarium domestication as the more familiar harlequin rasbora.
Synodontis multipunctatus, also known as the cuckoo catfish, cuckoo squeaker, or multipunk, is a small catfish from Lake Tanganyika, one of the lakes in the Great Rift Valley system in Africa. It is a brood parasite upon mouthbrooding cichlids. This species grows to a length of 27.5 centimetres (10.8 in) TL. This species is a minor component of local commercial fisheries.
Parachromis motaguensis, the False yellowjacket cichlid, is a species of cichlid native to Guatemala and Honduras in Central America. This species grows to a length of 30 centimetres (12 in) TL. This species is farmed.
Parachromis dovii, the guapote, rainbow bass, or wolf cichlid, is a species of cichlid native to Central America where it occurs on both slopes of Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This species grows to a length of 72 cm (28.3 in) TL. This carnivorous species is important to local commercial fisheries and is sought after as a gamefish.
Malawi eyebiter is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. This predatory cichlid is endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa.
The convict julie is a cichlid species in the subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae family endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Hence it is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. The fish is named after Charles Tate Regan.
Neolamprologus pulcher is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it prefers locations with plenty of sedimentation. The common name for N. pulcher is the daffodil cichlid. This species can reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Apistogramma agassizii is the scientific name for the Agassiz's dwarf cichlid, a fish that occurs in many Southern tributaries of the Amazon river. Its specific name honours the Swiss-American zoologist and geologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873).
Apistogramma hongsloi is a species of dwarf cichlid fish, native to the Orinoco basin in South America. They are often kept in the aquariums and prefer to have soft, acidic water.
Pelvicachromis silviae is a species of cichlid in the genus Pelvicachromis. It is found in the Niger River, in the same region as congeners Pelvicachromis pulcher and Pelvicachromis taeniatus.
↑ Wally Kahl / Burkard Kahl / Dieter Vogt, Kosmos Atlas Aquarienfische, Seite 220, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co Stuttgart 2003 (German) 2