Cockatoo dwarf cichlid care
Apistogramma cacatuoides · Upper Amazon tributaries, Peru and Colombia
The cockatoo is the hardiest apistogramma: a 20 gallon long or larger tank with caves, leaf litter and plants, 75 to 84 °F and soft to medium water.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 84 °F (24 to 29 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Adult size
- 3 in (males up to 3 in, females about 2 in)
- pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 3 to 5 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep cockatoo dwarf cichlids
The cockatoo is the hardiest apistogramma: a 20 gallon long or larger tank with caves, leaf litter and plants, 75 to 84 °F and soft to medium water. Keep one male with one or more females and peaceful schooling fish above them.
Diet: Carnivore: small pellets, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Tiger barb
3 in · 29+ gal · 74–80 °F
Betta
3 in · 5+ gal · 76–82 °F
Dwarf neon rainbowfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 75–81 °F
Black skirt tetra
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Congo tetra
3 in · 29+ gal · 73–81 °F
Glass catfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 75–82 °F
Buenos Aires tetra
3 in · 29+ gal · 64–82 °F
Black ruby barb
3 in · 29+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: cockatoo dwarf cichlids need 75 to 84 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: cockatoo dwarf cichlids need 75 to 84 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Cherry shrimp: Cockatoo dwarf cichlids eat shrimp.
Amano shrimp: Cockatoo dwarf cichlids eat shrimp.
Ghost shrimp: Cockatoo dwarf cichlids eat shrimp.
What a cockatoo dwarf cichlid tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon cockatoo dwarf cichlid tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon cockatoo dwarf cichlid tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Cockatoo dwarf cichlids need 75 to 84 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding cockatoo dwarf cichlids.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 84 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common cockatoo dwarf cichlid problems
- Males guard their caves and chase bottom fish when breeding; give each fish a cave.
- Shrimp are prey.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Apistogramma cacatuoides. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tiger barb Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Betta ivabalk (Pixabay), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf neon rainbowfish Leo-nie-weh-oh; cropped by Der Regenbogenfisch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black skirt tetra emptyvi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Congo tetra 7TP (Krzysztof Bartosik), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glass catfish Martin Fisch, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Buenos Aires tetra Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black ruby barb Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kribensis André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
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