Courting behaviour

[Andie]

Having posted a query as to whether or not my squabbling pair of convicts are likely to breed, I am now hoping somebody could tell me what courting behaviour looks like as compared to fighting. Ruby and Norman were quite obviously averse to each other when I first put them together, but over the past week or two they've progressed first to ignoring each other, and now to some more nipping/chasing that I'm not too sure about.

When they do encounter one another they both seem to be doing equal parts chasing now, whereas before the chaser was only Ruby. It might just be because Norman is catching up to her growth wise, but I'm still not sure. They're both about an inch long, and after some initial lip-locking in the early stages (which had me swooping in with the net and divider) they're now sometimes sharing both the ceramic log and the hollow under the filter, but continue to nip/twirl with each other (it's like a dog chasing its tail, only the tail is the other fish). After a little spat they'll settle side by side, and sometimes one will leave and sometimes they'll both stay together for a few minutes. This being my first male/female pairing I don't know if this is good, bad or indifferent, and I'm hoping somebody can tell me.

 

[juanveldez]

indifferent, they are going through the stages of bonding and incidentally the lip locking again is an indiffernt thing that I would not have really bothered to worry about what that amounts to is that many female cichlids will not breed with a male unless they "test" their strength first and that takes the form of lip locking

 

[Andie]

Thanks so much I'm relieved they're not trying to kill each other again, anyway I don't so much mind if they do or don't breed (well I suppose I'd rather they not until I'm at least set up in my dorm room; transporting a hundred or so month-old fry to University is not something I'm keen on doing) I just don't want them to kill one another!