Are They Fighting?

[taylors319]

i have 2 african cichlids that just started (after a year of having them) circling around each other and then they lock lips. im pretty sure they are fighting but could i be wrong? they are the same breed.

 

[Druchii]

yes, they are fighting.. .do you just have two fish in a tank?

 

[taylors319]

no i have quite a few. i think like 15 or so in a 55 gal. all about 3-4 inches. i guess that i need to put more places for them to hide. i try to switch up the decor when i vaccume so nobody gets territorial, but since this past cleaning they have been back and forth. guess i need a new layout

 

[kribensis12]

They are not reallyy fighting in a sense. The are probably male and female and are trying to test each oters strength because they think that they could be potential( spelled completely wrong) mates. Now if one of them is hidding in fear take it out or else it will get killed. If they are aleays by each other and protecting a small area then fry will be on the way!!!!!! Good luck!!!!!!!!

 

[adambrum]

Not completely true male and females will fight and it is fighting and if does end up hiding after then its had its butt kicked so knows not to mess with that fish again its all part of the mbuna tank.

I would not worry about it to much once the dominant fish is established it should quieten down again

I have never seen a male and female do this before mating, why would they when the females mouth is used to hold the fry the last thing either the male or female wants is a damaged mouth !

 

[kribensis12]

He said he had them for a year. After a year they should of asserted dominance( You would think). And you must have not had cichlids long enough to know that all cichlids usually during spawning season lock mouths and roll and tumble all across the aquarium and If one of them gives up It will get is ass kicked. If they both give up around the same time they will likley pair off. Not saying that they aren't fighting it is just it is more likley that the are testing their strength for breeding. Hope this helps.

 

[adambrum]

I take its a mbuna tank ?

The dominance issue can reapear at any time maybe one sub male is getting brave.

I have had cichlids for about 12 months and have had a lot of sucsess breeding including 7 batches of wild caught fry and not once did the male and female lock lips before mating as i said why would they as any damage to the females mouth would make her unable to hold.

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[spikeyboy]

I also have never seen a pair of malawi cichlids lip-lock before pairing up and have seen many pairs pair up and breed.My belief is that the male will colour up and shake/shimmy next to the female when they are trying to pair up.

 

[Matt Gleadow]

My 2 Hongi were doing this. One of them was beating the other up quite badly and also didn't like my Zebra's either so he got traded in. Now he's gone they are all getting on nicely again

 

[kribensis12]

All I know is that I had 4 red zebra's ( not nice fish) 2 male 2 female. All four paired up and before that they all liplocked for quite a while, And then I ended up with 2 pairs. Both the pairs pairs had succsseful batches so I was going on experience and a book called cichlids by Axelrod ( forgot his full name). Sorry for giving wrong info.

 

[adambrum]

What you had was 2 males fighting to see which one was the dominant fish and 2 females fighting for the same reason, more than likely the one male was the farther of both batches as mbuna are not pairing fish.

Dr axelrod is going way back he had a lot to do with lake malawi and its species in the 1950s you can even get a cynotilapia axelrodi