Cockatoo cichlid

Apistogramma cacatuoides, the cockatoo cichlid, is the most widely kept dwarf cichlid in the hobby and the one most often recommended to newcomers. It is native to slow, shallow waters of the western Amazon in Peru, where it lives among leaf litter and submerged wood. The common name refers to the male's raised, comb-like first dorsal rays; males reach about 7.5 cm and aquarium lines have been selected for orange, red, and double-red fin markings, while females stay near 5 cm.

Its popularity rests on a forgiving nature, because unlike many blackwater dwarf cichlids it adapts to neutral and moderately hard tap water, which makes it far easier to keep and breed than its relatives. A male will hold a territory over the substrate and may court several females in a larger tank. It mixes well with small, peaceful dither fish that occupy the upper water, but it is a predator of dwarf shrimp and tiny fry. Feed it as a carnivore, with live or frozen bloodworm, daphnia, and brine shrimp supplemented by quality dried foods.

A planted tank from 60 litres with temperatures of 22 to 29 degrees Celsius, gentle flow, and several caves suits a pair or a small harem. The cockatoo cichlid is a cave spawner in which the female lays inside a shelter, then guards the eggs and leads the fry out to forage while she fends off anything that approaches. Spawnings are common even in community tanks, and the defending female adopts a vivid yellow warning colour, so an established group will readily produce young for the patient keeper.