Sparring question

[gwand]

What’s the correct term for when two fish of the same species go nose to nose, moving back-and-forth in a horizontal manner? Is that sparring? My butterfly cichlids (a. thomasi) do it all the time.

 

[Marc Pozz]

What’s the correct term for when two fish of the same species go nose to nose, moving back-and-forth in a horizontal manner? Is that sparring? My butterfly cichlids (a. thomasi) do it all the time.

Jousting?

 

[Back in the fold]

I’ve heard the term sparring used often . It’s not displaying because that’s part of courtship . You are talking about two males I assume ?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Perhaps duelling?....or fencing! En guarde!

 

[gwand]

I’ve heard the term sparring used often . It’s not displaying because that’s part of courtship . You are talking about two males I assume ?

I assume, but I can’t tell males from females in African butterfly cichlids. No sexual dimorphism that I can discern.

 

[Back in the fold]

I assume, but I can’t tell males from females in African butterfly cichlids. No sexual dimorphism that I can discern.

It sounds like two males but we need a cichlid expert to chime in here .

 

[emeraldking]

Could be sparring but it could also mean intimidating eachother to see which one is the alpha.

 

[Mr Limpet]

I assume, but I can’t tell males from females in African butterfly cichlids. No sexual dimorphism that I can discern.

I’ve been working with A. thomasi for years. It’s fairly easy to sex them when they’re fully grown. Males are larger then females, with much more of the violet spangling on their sides.