Blue acaras.. are they mating or fighting?

[Tahnzian]

Hi guys I’m quite new to this and this is my first post. Looking for some advise on what’s going on with my two neon blue acaras.
they seem to be lip locking not sure if it’s a dominance thing or maybe pairing off?
below I’ve attached some photos
Not even sure what their sex is either

thanks in advance.

 

[Colin_T]

Lip locking is how fish test each other to see if they are suitable mates. They push each other around and if they are equally strong, they might pair up. If one fish is noticeably weaker than the other, the weaker one might be bashed and driven out of the area.

Males usually have longer more pointed dorsal (top) and anal (bottom) fins. Females have shorter dorsal and anal fins. Males grow bigger but that isn't noticeable until they are over a year old.

When they are actually breeding, the female will have a short wide ovipositor (egg laying tube) and the male will have a longer thinner ovipositor.

 

[Tahnzian]

Thank you for your reply and information. greatly appreciated