Cacatuoides EGGS!!! Yiippee,, I'm a eg

[Brown.Victoria@ic.gc.ca (Brown, Victoria: TMI)]

Hi Folks,,

Just a quick note to give you all the great news!!!

The courting pair of Cacatuoides that I had moved into their own little   
tank, were very busy little fishy's yesterday. When I arrived home from   
work yesterday, and checked to see how the little one's were doing, the   
male was kinda hanging around pretty far from the flower pot.  I looked   
in the pot, and there was the female, and she was looking at the roof of   
the pot.  I got a flashlight, and peeked in, and saw a whole bunch of   
very red eggs!!   The male seemed kinda cowed, so I netted him up and put   
him back into the 20 gallon community with the rest of the Cacatuoides,   
Biatiana's and male Agassizii.  Where he promptly started to court the   
other 3 females Cacatuoides that live in that tank.

The female mom, is so cute. She kinda sweeps the floor of the pot with   
her pectorals. When I fed her, a flake drifted into the pot, and she   
sweeped it right out of her pot. She is continually fanning and mouthing   
the eggs. I wasn't sure if she would come out to eat, but she did, she   
grabbed a flake, and dashed back to the pot. She would check her eggs,   
and then come out for another flake, then back again. After she had her   
flakes, I squirted a bit of brine shrimp right in front of the pot, and   
she stayed right at the entrance, and ate the shrimp, as it settled down.

WAY KEWL!!!!

This morning, she is very happily tending her eggs, and had a very good   
breakfast of freeze dried red grubs. She is quite at ease, and doesn't   
seem nervous when I peek in her tank.  I  conditioned some water last   
night, and added a bag of peat, so when I water change her tank, the   
water will already be peat conditioned. My water is soft and less than 40   
DGH (test kit read 70PPM, which you multiply by some number, don't   
remember what that was,, to get at reading of 39.2), and a PH of 6.6, so   
I want her water change water to be close to that in the tank.

I was so excited about this spawn, that I called a fellow Apisto digest   
member in Montreal to tell him about the event.

HI GEORGE!!!  Great talkin' to you last night!!

This morning, the male Cacatuoides, is really struttin' his stuff for the   
other 3 females. He is really pumped, and very bright red.  The other   
females are much more yellow this morning, and I'm thinking that he will   
probably spawn with the other ones also.  I'm going to do another tank   
shuffle to-nite, and move my 3 chocolate angels and the Nijsseni to   
another tank, and free up that 15 gallon, and move  the 4 other   
Cacatuoides into their own tank. I will have to decorate with plastic   
plants for now to create little territories, cause the tank is low in a 2   
tank stand, and I don't have a fluorescent light for it yet. Soon,   
though,,,

I'm havin' major fun with these guys!!!

Later,,,

Vicky and her fishy buddies