Bolivian Ram Behavior

[tmack]

Hi. I have 3 Bolivians in a tank, still trying to sex them, but nothing definite yet. When I've figured it out, and if I have a pair, and not 3 of the same sex, I'll move one to another tank.

I've noticed that two will on occasion go face to face and lock lips together briefly. Is this a sign of aggression between like sexes, or is it a sign of "love"?

 

[tmack]

I may have answered my own question by doing some searching on the Bolivians as well as other cichlids. It seems like lip locking is often the case with a potential pairing off of a male & female, but could be a boundary dispute between 2 males? The 2 in my case that do it seem to hang out a lot together, in the front of the tank, while the 3rd on has pretty much taken to hiding in the back of the tank most of the time. I just don't know if my assumptions are correct or not?

Anyone's experience with this in the Bolivians (or other cichlids) would be greatly appreciated.

Here are some copies & pastes of what I've found on a few cichlid web sites:

The lip-locking battles are priceless. In case you are unfamiliar with cichlids, lip locking is a demonstration of dominance and is not harmful to the fish. They will appear to square off maybe an inch apart and charge head first at each other. They lock lips for a second or two and the one that lets go first is the loser and immediately swims away in the opposite direction. The winner remains motionless in the “victory circleâ€￾ for quite some time.

Lip-locking
An aggressive behavior seen when two fish face each other and grab each other's mouth. This may last for seconds or minutes. It is used as a test of strength and willingness to hold position. Territorial cichlids will lip-lock with neighbors to assert boundaries. Potential spawning partners will lip-lock to test each other prior to mating. Lip-locking often leads to minor lip damage that will heal within a few days, though occasionally it can lead to more serious problems like a dislocated jaw.

Oscars breed similarly to other cichlids. Unlike some of the African species, Oscars are NOT mouth breeders. They are egg layers. However, prior to egg laying, an elaborate mating ritual is carried out. As observed, it generally begins with a pair of Oscars "spending time together". Following this, the Oscars begin the more elaborate portion of their ritual. In a true, "survival of the fittest" sense, the Oscars will attempt to test the strength and hardiness of their potential mate. A pair of fish will generally lock lips, and have something of a tug of war. Each will attempt to dislodge the other one. At some point, one of the fish will dislodge. Either prior to the lip lock or just after (depending on the source) the Oscars will engage in some tail slapping and rubbing up against each other. At some point during this ritual, the two fish will have formed a "bond" and will remain together exclusively, until after the fry have been born.

Jacks do not just mate with any fish though. After finding a possible mate, the male will dig a hole in the substrate and meticulously clean a flat surface. The male and female will then lip lock and wrestle violently. If the female is weak she may be killed by the male, but this is rare as the male will usually detect weakness early and basically ignore her from that point on. Once the male has determined the female is fit, she will lay eggs on the flat surface and he will fertilize them.

 

[ox5477]

Spot on stuff you found there, very good info. Whoever wrote it is right on with their info. It is true about lip-locking that it is a show of dominance. I would recomend you remove the third ram as will get bullied if the other two do pair up although it prob won't be as bad if it were another species such as a a JD or GT as they would most def kill the third. Anyways, watch the two and if they do end up pairing and lay eggs together then awesome If not, then dont be too upset if they dont pair as with cichlids, things could look great, then it all changes one day and it seems like they are the most mortal of enemies.

 

[tmack]

Spot on stuff you found there, very good info. Whoever wrote it is right on with their info. It is true about lip-locking that it is a show of dominance. I would recomend you remove the third ram as will get bullied if the other two do pair up although it prob won't be as bad if it were another species such as a a JD or GT as they would most def kill the third. Anyways, watch the two and if they do end up pairing and lay eggs together then awesome If not, then dont be too upset if they dont pair as with cichlids, things could look great, then it all changes one day and it seems like they are the most mortal of enemies.

Thanks for the reply. It's been over 20 years since I've kept and bred cichlids, and my memory on this stuff is pretty hazy. I'll see how it goes and think about soon relocating the one that seems to be spending most of the time hiding out in the back of the tank.