The double red cockatoo cichlid carries red and black patterning on two fin sets, the soft dorsal and the caudal. Add the anal fin and it is a triple red, and add the ventrals and shops call it a quad or super red. It suits a calm, planted community tank and a keeper with some experience.
Did you know
Double red cockatoo cichlids are graded by counting fins, not by judging shade. A dark, heavily marked fish with only two patterned fin sets is still a double red. A paler fish with three patterned fin sets is a triple.
Caring for the double red cockatoo cichlid
Give double red cockatoo cichlids at least 18 gal (70 L). A planted tank with sand, driftwood and small caves, such as a coconut shell or flowerpot, works well. Cover is what makes them comfortable.
Aim for soft, slightly acidic water at 72 to 84°F (22 to 29°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. In the wild the species eats small invertebrates, so feed micro pellets and quality flake plus live or frozen daphnia and brine shrimp.
Keep a pair, or one male with two or three females. Give each female her own cave so the male can split his territory. They are mostly peaceful and fine in a calm community, but they get defensive when guarding fry.
Males carry far more of the color and grow the extended dorsal rays as they mature. Good females of the red forms show the same fin colors to a lesser degree. A mixed group of juveniles looks like nothing much until the males mature. Buy males by photo, since the grade shows late.
The species spawns in caves, and the female guards the eggs and fry inside a sheltered nook. Breeding is hard, though the cockatoo is one of the easier Apistogramma to breed.
Good to know
The double red cockatoo cichlid's grade is a coverage measure rather than a named gene. The forum answer is that there is no official set of characteristics, so the grade depends on the seller. Spawns give a range, since a super or quad red pair still throws double and triple reds. That is why breeders keep picking the best colored parents.
In the wild
The double red cockatoo cichlid is a trade line built by generations of selection, not a wild pattern. Seriously Fish lists double red among the ornamental line-bred forms of the species, alongside triple red, gold and orange flash. Wild fish are much plainer than any of them. No single breeder is credited with fixing the double red, and nothing matching it has been found in the wild.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The double red cockatoo cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
Is a double red cockatoo cichlid a different species from the cockatoo cichlid?
No. A double red cockatoo cichlid is a variety of the cockatoo cichlid, Apistogramma cacatuoides, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.
What size tank does a double red cockatoo cichlid need?
A double red cockatoo cichlid needs at least 18 gal (70 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
An adult double red cockatoo cichlid reaches about 3 in (7.5 cm).
How can you tell a male double red cockatoo cichlid from a female?
Males carry far more of the color and grow the extended dorsal rays as they mature. Good females of the red forms show the same fin colors to a lesser degree.
How does a double red cockatoo cichlid breed?
A double red cockatoo cichlid spawns in a cave, and the female guards the eggs and fry inside a sheltered nook. Breeding is hard, though the cockatoo is one of the easier Apistogramma to breed.
3 in (7.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–84°F (22–29°C)
3.3 in (8.5 cm)18 gal (70 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
2.6 in (6.5 cm)18 gal (70 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
2.2 in (5.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
3 in (7.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–84°F (24–29°C)
3 in (7.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)