Bonding Behaviour?

[Elisabeth83]

I've been searching around on the net since yesterday trying to find out the breeding/courting behaviour of the Blue Acara is (the physical stuff not colors etc) but I've yet to find anything about the things I am seeing with mine.

Yesterday I introduced a big female into the tank and right away the biggest male was smitten by her and doesn't often leave her side unless it's to chase the other Acaras away. What he's doing is displaying to her, shaking his head a lot and sometimes he draws her to the bottom of the tank where he'll shake his head a lot and then bite the leaves of the plastic plants. I also saw him and what I think is another male trying to out do eachother. They were in front of her and were displaying to eachother and then biting the leaves of the plastic plants. The female doesn't seem too interested in the bigger male (not interested in any of the other Acaras actually) but I have noticed a couple of times when the bigger male leaves to chase the other Acaras off she'll quickly swim right after him and they will swim together.

I'm assuming this is a good sign that I have the beginnings of a pair forming?

 

[lucky62]

yup , that's right .

what you described is indeed typical cichlid courtship behavior ..[ typical for that species ]........keep the camera ready

 

[Elisabeth83]

That's great to know I've been taking videos with my camera already. There's 2 more smaller ones a male and female I think who have been locking jaws quite a few times. Probably testing eachother out too. I've put in somemore wood and plants so there are more hiding spots so the smaller guys are able to escape the bigger male who is becoming more and more aggressive towards them. He isn't hurting them but he's chasing them off more often now.

It's definitely amusing to watch all of this going on. I just wonder when it's time to remove the other three? I asked that in one of my other post.. I dont want to do it too soon but not too late either where the other ones are getting seriously hurt.