female or male cacatuoides?

If you would have asked me this 20 years ago.. I would definately have said that your fish is a sneaky male!!
But since the breeding-methods/strategies are what they are today.., I`m not sure anymore...!!??
(now also females with lots of colors..)

The colors on the dorsal+anal+caudal fins indicates it is a male!! (dorsal+anal fins are also somewhat elongated towards the caudal fin..)
To me..it seems that the tips of the dorsal fin also shows some colors.. (..now evolving..!!??)
, and the caudal fin (roughly bitten..) also indicates quite much aggression from the dominant one!!
( If it were a female being chased around.. maybe not sooo wounded...???)

Signs if it is a female... - the blackened + shortening of the pelvic fins!!
- black markings on gillcovers+stomach-parts in comb. with distinct yellow color.
- gastric contents showing "a little more" substance than normal(eggs!!)
- the body-size!! ( females are often smaller..!)
- the first 2-4 "spines" in dorsal fin are often visibly black+ relatively shorter!!

Good luck!,
Micke

Cheer micke. My male seems interested in her/ it(tail slapping and shimmering) is that a good sign or is that just normal signs of aggression. Or is it possible that he is just sexual confused haha. This is my first attempt at keeping apistogrammas so any advice would've great

Nice female! Breed it!

How big do they need to be before they will breed?

If she turns brood (golden yellow) color, she is a female and she is ready to breed.

Defiantly a female got some eggs in a cave to prove it she's only been in the tank for about 2 weeks

Hi ..
Sorry for not answering until now!!

Nice to see you have got eggs!!
Just let the parents do the job..and maybe separate the fry from parents after 2 weeks or so.. if you want to save some of them..
In a small tank going solo ,the couple(male..) often starts disputes after 2 weeks or so..
Often due to lack of enough space, or preparing for a new spawn..
My Apistog. eremnopyge lives in a 60x20x20cm tank where I put them to prepare them for a larger
tank.. They are now guarding their 3rd batch of fry in this tank( 3rd batch of this summer)!!
The numbers of fry gets fewer every 3rd day or so it seems.. so I have siphoned out 6-7 of them.. every time/spawn!!

If the pair fights a lot , you can try to put in some more (and already used ) roots or rocks + plants..
Making more "line of sight"- barriers.. Often good for the male who probaly willl be chased/pushed away from the area (by the female) close to the fry..

But maybe I have mistaken the film(since I have not yet watched it..)
You may have taken the eggs from the couple..??
If so.. try to keep the pair with eggs+fry next time, and you will get a nice experience!!

Cheers,
Micke

The female will guard the eggs +fry "until death", so if no other(bigger and meaner) but the coulpe is in the tank..
she will do a good job!!
I guess the net is not necessary to have if you don`t keep catfishes or similar "cave"-fishes..

and the female will probably try o get into her cave.. to her eggs!!??

But I hope the female was also in the net...so she could/can do her thing!!??

Yeah the females in the net with her babies its just until I can get rid of some of my other fish in the tank. I wasn't expecting them to breed so soon