Been watching my female Cacatuoides and she is setting up shop in a coconut shell and when any other fish comes near the shell so goes nuts chasing them off and even havin a nip at them. Ive watched this for a day now , so would i be right in thinkin she could be ready to lay eggs or already has...?

She is a really nice yellow colour with big black markings on her face.

Alan

I'll stick my neck out and say possibly yes.
You could gently lift the cave for a peek - I know lots of breeders who do...but I'm not one of them.

She should have become a vivid yellow and the black markings around the gill area should have become really black, but this can only mean she is in breeding condition.
The symptoms you describe certainly sound promising though.

Watch points and see.

Hope all goes well.

John

Dont even have her a week but she has very dark back markings around her head, cant wait to see if she is going all eggs. Ill be firing up the brine shrimp hatcher soon.

Alan

Sounds like things are going well Alan. Fingers crossed for ya .

Jay

Sounds good Alan

I just noticed the unintended pun there and it raised a smile...

"...in a coconut shell and when any other fish comes near the shell so goes nuts"

I'm just wondering how many other fish you have in the tank?
Although a female Apisto will display amazing aggression in defending her offspring, she wouldn't be a match for an 'all-out' attack from the other occupants. There comes a limit to what - with even the most furious defence she can muster - she will be able to fend off. If she appears to be defending eggs you might want to think about removing some of the other occupants. This might also include the male - some can be a useful ally for the poor female but I have found that a larger percentage of Apisto males do not share the strong parental 'urge' and dispose of as many fry they can whilst the poor female is engaged in defensive duties elsewhere!

Don't scrimp on the Brineshrimp either - the female will take them eagerly too, which will be a good source of nourishment for her, especially if (which doesn't seem the case here) she has barricaded herself in and doesn't appear until she removes the defences when her fry are free-swimming.

Just a few more thoughts there...hope you're successful, but do bear in mind that not every brood will provide young fish - the earlier breeding attempts, like with many other SA Cichlids, can often come to nought (but for your sake I hope this proves not to be the case).

Good luck,

John