RE: Apisto. Cacatuoides question

[Tom Mroz <tmroz@art-inc.com>]

I am just curious when the male apisto cacatuoides will start to show off
thier color more.
I start to see hints of color on double red/triple red males when they are 
about 5/8", and definitely at 3/4".  I have males now in the 1" - 1.25" 
range that are showing full red in their caudal and dorsal.  Timing depends 
on how fast they grow.  I can't say mine always get to color-up sizes in 50 
days, though I am sure that if conditions were right, they could exceed 
this size in that timing.

	Also, what are the usual male to female fry ratio. more males or
females?

Ratio seems to depend on water chemistry, as discussed in various forms in 
the past.  With cacatuoides, my experience has been nearly all females when 
using softer, more acid water.  Right now, I am using slightly alkaline 
water with 170 ppm hardness and I get about 85%+ males.

Tom