Rams and cockatoo cichlids [Archive]

Mandy

December 31st 04, 01:18 AM

Okay, if you've been reading any of my posts, thanks for your patience.
I'm a bit obsessed at the moment!

Just came across some amazing photos of Rams and coctatoo ciclids.

The fish I'm planning on keeping right now (and this changes with every
visit to the lfs!) are 2 small angelfish, 2 small kribs, some panda
cories and five Furcata Rainbow fish. In my head, that puts the angels
and the furcata in the top to middle part of the tank and the kribs and
cories in the lower to bottom of the tank.

I've heard that kribs and angels together can be a pain but I've done
it before without problems - they started together and very young.

Obviously I can't add rams and cockatoo ciclids to this mix, too many
fish for 37 gallons... between kribs, angels, rams and cockatoos, what
are the pros and cons?

Thanks!

NetMax

December 31st 04, 02:05 AM

"Mandy" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Okay, if you've been reading any of my posts, thanks for your patience.
> I'm a bit obsessed at the moment!
>
> Just came across some amazing photos of Rams and coctatoo ciclids.
>
> The fish I'm planning on keeping right now (and this changes with every
> visit to the lfs!) are 2 small angelfish, 2 small kribs, some panda
> cories and five Furcata Rainbow fish. In my head, that puts the angels
> and the furcata in the top to middle part of the tank and the kribs and
> cories in the lower to bottom of the tank.
>
> I've heard that kribs and angels together can be a pain but I've done
> it before without problems - they started together and very young.
>
> Obviously I can't add rams and cockatoo ciclids to this mix, too many
> fish for 37 gallons... between kribs, angels, rams and cockatoos, what
> are the pros and cons?
>
> Thanks!

An aquarium is like a living piece of artwork, so some attention can go
into the colours, layers and the motions. To make it further
interesting, they are living creatures which interact with each other and
eventually reach a spawning condition which puts a lot of stress on the
best of plans. I'd say that there can be a lot to think about if you
really want to ;~)

The cockatoos (Cacatoides of family apistogramma I presume?) are neat
little fish but it's really only the alpha male who shines, and then the
alpha female to a lesser extent. Compared to Rams, I think the
Cacatoides would/could use more room because they can be a bit more
rambunctious. If any of the Apistos were to harass the Angels, I'd
expect the Cacatoids would be worst than the Rams, however I've had
Apistos (Cacatoides, Agassiz and Rams) with Discus and both types of
Angels with no problems. Kribs are reasonable well mannered, but they
are larger fish and their 'space' when spawning is appropriately larger
as well.

If you like the Cacatoides, they should be stocked as a harem, 1M & 2 or
3F. There are many variants such as orange, red, double red etc and it
can be a real stroke of luck to find some nice specimens. When I could,
I would drive to Montreal and hand pick my Apistos for delivery to the
stores. With some luck, you might find some local breeders (or become
one yourself). They do command a high price (for the better quality, in
the 15 to 18$cdn range) because of their rarity and emerging popularity,
but they are not particularly difficult to breed (not as easy as Kribs of
course ;~). I find that there is more of an element of luck in spawning
Apistos.

Angels in a 37g are a slow moving fish, and calm if nothing pesters them.
If they get between Apistos and their fry, they will be shooed into a
corner very quickly (which they will not appreciate, especially if they
get a glimpse of the fry, Angels are quite pisciverous (carnivores who
specialize in eating fish)). Mixing Angels with smaller breeding
cichlids will make a 'dynamic' arrangement ;~), so if you get things
humming harmoniously, they might not stay that way. Of the Apistos, the
Rams might be the best choice as I think they will not breed so easily
and they don't guard their fry as energetically, so the situation will
resolve itself more quickly.

Of the Rams, the most common are the smaller and more colourful German
Ram and the larger Bolivian Ram. Both can be a bit fragile when being
acclimated. I've had less luck with the Germans, but they are my
favourite. Angels are also not the best fish to acclimate into a new
tank, so ymmv.

Probably too much information there. I don't know when to shut up.
--
www.NetMax.tk