Incredibly Strange Behaviourfiremouth Breeding Activity Or Normal?

[Blue Ramirezi]

Hi everyone ! my firemouths lived alone in two seperate (small) tanks because they were doing what I thought was bullying so I eventually decided the one firemouth was living a rather depressing life so I moved it in with the male firemouth. As I expected they fought and fought and fought, Then out of the blue they stop, start rubbing fins occasionally and digging a hole underneath my cave like bogwood pieces (they are 2 pieces on each other which act as a cave). they are sucking up gravel then spitting it out mostly coming from under the bogwood but sometimes they goto a random place in the tank and suck up and spit out gravel. the male did seemed aggresive to other fish but it wouldnt flare up at me (or at least not any more). is this breeding behaiour? standards are breeding standards (water management) and this behaviour has been going on for 3 days

 

[talisker]

classic cichlid breeding behaviour.

 

[seabasstian]

Definitely been doing the jiggy thing.

 

[Blue Ramirezi]

yaaaaaay! first time i've breed (hate to admit but my blue ram spawnings wernt succesful they were just unfertilized eggs ) so I was thinking its breeding behavior but any ideas when they will lay eggs?

 

[snowflake311]

Yup. They have to fight a little before they start a family. That's the cichlid way. They might even turn on each other after they spawn or they will work together. It depends on the fish.

Courting can last for a few days then they spawn.

 

[Blue Ramirezi]

lucky you said that I started to get scared cuz they suddenly started fighting today ! I was cleaning the outside of the tank when I noticed my blue rams rubbing fins and getting very aggresive to the third blue ram (shame ! the only one who hasnt paired up yet )the blue rams seem to be easy to breed but they never fertilize the eggs D: !!! oh well maybe this time i'll get luck the tank is looking amazing and its no surprise their all breeding (well actually it is since its only a 60l LOL)

 

[Blue Ramirezi]

wow. all of a sudden they stopped and started crazily digging

 

[Blue Ramirezi]

nah i dont think their gonna breed, they have been digging for 2 months now and they have stopped swimming together

 

[snowflake311]

Cichlids are crazy. One day they are madly in love the next day they hate each other. It can take a year for young dish to get it right. Or it could take one time. It all depends on the fish they are all differant.

Good luck

 

[Diesel Trout]

My firemouths dig constantly. The big one dug a hole under the amazon and bogwood right down to the glass. The smaller one was digging and rubbing itself into the sand yesterday evening while the big one expanded its burrow. I have had them for nearly a year and there has been no breeding activity. As far as I know they are not even male and female.

 

[Blue Ramirezi]

haha crazy fish There has been alot of trouble so iv decided to hand them to my friend cuz he has a couple fms and a bigger tank (i actually have a tank more than doublue his tanks litreage but i have plans for that one) so I have hope in him to get fry, and i will inform u guys if he does , in the mean time im giving discus a shot!