Green Terrors Locking Lips?

[Beanie Seagus]

Hi Guys,

I've got a male and female green terror, about the same size (maybe 3.5").

In a semi-aggressive community tank (55 gallon) filled with junvenile jack dempsey and convict cichlids the male had been chasing the female quite avidly, and had been nipping at her fins quite a bit.

I'm very interested in breeding these fish, so i moved them to a 40 gallon breeder with some pvc tubing and rocks for cover. I put the female in first, and the next day i re-introduced the male.

Now they are locking lips with some frequency. When they are not lip locked though, they seem fine with each other. I'm unclear if this lip-locking is part of a pre-mating ritual, or still a show of a high level of aggression. What have your experiences been with green terrors?

Is this pair too young to mate? Not interested in eachother? Or is this part of their mating ritual?

What are your thoughts?

 

[CSnyder00]

Seems to be that they are still young at 3-4 inches. However, lip locking can be a sign of pre-mating. Some CA/SA cichlids will breed young, so it's possible. Just keep an eye on them at all times. If the female is getting beat up, remove the male and let her recover. All you can do at this point is wait and watch. You could also feed some black worms or frozen bloodworms and do frequent water changes to encourage breeding. Sometimes slight adjustments in water temp can do it too.

 

[jonclark96]

Sounds like pre spawn behavior. Keep an eye on them. 40 gallons isn't much space for the female to get away if the male gets aggressive.

 

[MHMoro]

Sounds like pre-spawn behavior. Keep an eye on them. 40 gallons isn't much space for the female to get away if the male gets aggressive.

I agree with Jon in that the behaviour you are describing could be pre-spawn behaviour although I have not seen this with my green terrors (I have several). At 3.5" they can start breeding. I keep my breeding pairs in 40G breeder tank but you have to be careful with the males that can easily kill the females (It happened to me). Provide hiding areas and watch them carefully. Depending of the male/female interactions you may have to remove the male after the fry are free swimming.

Manuel