Do cichlids always pair up, or will a male breed will multiple females
- Thread starter Wornoutboots
- Start date
I believe some pair up and some have a harem.
I could tell you what I'd do given the opportunity.
I could tell you what I'd do given the opportunity.
This is a very open ended question. It really depends on what cichlids you are talking about. Many mouthbrooding Africans form breeding groups where one male fertilizes a group of females. Others substrate spawners form weak pairs like leleupis where they get together to spawn then move on with their lives. Some of the shell dwellers like multis and brevis pair up and defend a territory. Then others like brichardi pair up keep their brood around and each brood hangs around and protects the next group for a while. Many Central and South American substrate spawners pair up and seem to bond for a time in aquariums. Angels typically pair up though I have seen times when one male fertilizes eggs from 2 females at the same time.
What do your want to know about?
What do your want to know about?
Totally depends on species. As mentioned by FLA there are various scenarios. Some are comparatively complex, like Tanganyikan Neolamprologus where some practice cooperative breeding, a sort of social group where subordinate males help guard fry and territory but don't appear to participate in the actual breeding.
Since there are about 3000 different species of cichlids world wide, many with differing breeding strategies, you need to get a little more specific.
I was speaking in general, though specifically I would like to know about texas cichlids.
Texas pair up, clean a spot and lay eggs and defend them till they have more fry than most people know what to do with. Then they start over again.
Keep in mind, "pairing" cichlids aren't "mate for life" type creatures.
They mate by instinct, not emotion. The males instinct says to make as many babies as possible. The females instinct says to mate with the "fittest" male possible.
Keep in mind, any number of details could alter situations...
Generally with pairing Cichlids... If one male and one female are together, they'll pair/mate. Although if the female can bully the male she may reject him. Or she may spawn with him then treat him as an enemy while protecting her brood.
If there is an established pair and a stronger male is introduced. The pair will usually defend their current eggs/brood as a pair. But once those offspring are gone, the female will seek the attention of the stronger male. Or will stay back and allow the males to establish who is stronger, then pair off with the winner.
If there is an established pair and another female is introduced. The pair will usually defend their current eggs/brood as a pair. But once those offspring are gone, the male will seek to pair off with whichever female is ready to spawn. Of will wait for whoever is ready next, then pair off with her.
If you are considering exploring a trio with typically pairing fish... Do keep in mind, when two of the fish pair off, the odd fish will be treated as an enemy while they are caring for eggs/offspring. And if the pair are able to kill the odd female, which they most likely will be able to easily do, they often will. Doing this safely would require a very large tank that allows the breeding pair to have a sizable territory and the odd female to be in a different territory with breaks in sight from the pair.
It would be much safer to give each female her own tank and bounce the male around to whoever is ready to spawn. That said, I'd also suggest the male having his own tank for when the females are with a brood or recovering from spawning or sparing. This can very quickly stop feeling like having a couple of fish and turn into work.
They mate by instinct, not emotion. The males instinct says to make as many babies as possible. The females instinct says to mate with the "fittest" male possible.
Keep in mind, any number of details could alter situations...
Generally with pairing Cichlids... If one male and one female are together, they'll pair/mate. Although if the female can bully the male she may reject him. Or she may spawn with him then treat him as an enemy while protecting her brood.
If there is an established pair and a stronger male is introduced. The pair will usually defend their current eggs/brood as a pair. But once those offspring are gone, the female will seek the attention of the stronger male. Or will stay back and allow the males to establish who is stronger, then pair off with the winner.
If there is an established pair and another female is introduced. The pair will usually defend their current eggs/brood as a pair. But once those offspring are gone, the male will seek to pair off with whichever female is ready to spawn. Of will wait for whoever is ready next, then pair off with her.
If you are considering exploring a trio with typically pairing fish... Do keep in mind, when two of the fish pair off, the odd fish will be treated as an enemy while they are caring for eggs/offspring. And if the pair are able to kill the odd female, which they most likely will be able to easily do, they often will. Doing this safely would require a very large tank that allows the breeding pair to have a sizable territory and the odd female to be in a different territory with breaks in sight from the pair.
It would be much safer to give each female her own tank and bounce the male around to whoever is ready to spawn. That said, I'd also suggest the male having his own tank for when the females are with a brood or recovering from spawning or sparing. This can very quickly stop feeling like having a couple of fish and turn into work.
Years ago I had some Neolamprologus leleupi that spawned in a trio and even a quad, with the females in different caves and the dominant male going between them. Recently I had some Julidochromis transcriptus do the same thing, and incidentally, when one pair was spawning, two subordinate males were hanging around the spawning site when a pair was breeding (out of sight of the pair, but very close) and looking to be trembling and possibly releasing sperm, so potentially fertilizing some of the eggs.
