I got three Keyholes when they were young and I did not bother to sex them. Now there's two males and a female, all fully grown, except one male is larger (larger male = A, smaller male = B). A and the female paired up and B ended up cowering in the corner of the 65-gal behind a filter. Both A and female were agressive towards B, although in that gentle Keyhole Cichlid way. I moved B to another tank. When I did, the pair clearly "missed" him. I saw them looking behind the filter. Meanwhile, B looked miserable in his new tank. After about 2 weeks of separation, I put B back in. Amazingly, they no longer chase him to his corner, but have reached a kind of truce. While A and the female still gently shoos him away, B no longer cowers in the corner. It's amusing, too, because B still tries to horn in on A's girlfriend when A isn't looking.
Cichlid Behavior
- Thread starter henkychif
- Start date
Cichlid behavior is fun to watch sometimes. They do tend to have a lot of personality and are not boring to watch most of the time. I really think that most fish are smarter then we give them credit for. It seems that absence makes the heart grow fonder at least in this case.
Marinemom
Marinemom
I have a similar situation..appears 1 female and 2 males(tho the sexes are not distinct.
the 3rd wheel male does not cower ..it pretty much swims the tank..just gets nudged when he gets too close to the pair.
even when aggressive..they appear to only be mildly aggressive.
the 3rd wheel male does not cower ..it pretty much swims the tank..just gets nudged when he gets too close to the pair.
even when aggressive..they appear to only be mildly aggressive.
