Re: Understanding Male Aggression In Harem Spawning Dwarf Cichlids.

[Per Wigstal <per_wigstal@yahoo.co.uk>]

Hello Peter.
 
Interesting to watch a colony of apistos interacting! 
I have a 550 litre tank where I have about 13 fullgrown Keyholes and about 25 A. Resticulosa and a single couple of A.sp. Redpoint.
In one corner of the tank there is a big bush of vallisneria. Its covers about a quarter of the tank. In that bush I think there´s 4 or 5 female Resticulosas spawning all the time. Some have frys and some have eggs. 
All of them are within one males territory.
The funny thing is that all the females seem to cooperate when the single redpoint female enters the Resticulosa male territory. 
They all attack together. But returning to their "balance of terror" a soon as the redpoint female is gone.
 
I think that the social life of the apistos is much more complicated than we can imagine.
 
Best regards/ Per



Just because they do does not mean they will.

In the wild males from a harem spawning dwarf cichlids put a large
amount of energy is first establishing a territory and then keeping it.
In the wild there are usually lots of females ready to spawn and ready
to take up home in the males territory and any female that's is not is
not welcome in his territory. Why is this, well I feel it is because the
non spawning female takes up space, uses up valuable food which can be
used by the other females that has spawned and have fry? 

This also is shown in the aquarium. If two or more female are ready to
spawn a male will spawn with all of them in turn and keep the piece
between the females. On the other hand if one female is ready to spawn
and non of the other females are they will be chase away. This is
because in the mind of both the female and the male the other females
will only take up space and food. If a male wants to spawn and no female
is ready. He also feels that if he can remove these females from his
territory it will give room for other females that are ready to spawn.

There is one other interesting point I would like to add about
Apistogramma males. Once they have spawned with a female they are much
more accommodating to them even if they are not ready to spawn. 


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