Cichlid behavior seems off, what could be the cause

[cichlidgirl22]

I've got a 40g breeder with a bunch of shells and 3 Neolamprologus similis in it. No idea what the genders are, but I'm thinking 2 males and 1 female.

The weird thing is, they're not acting like they should. They're supposed to be super territorial and defend their shells aggressively. But that's not happening here.

They all just hang out together and hardly ever snap at each other.

I have seen a few things that might be mating behavior, though. One of the males will occasionally go near the female's shell, and they'll rub against each other a bit before the male swims off. Their eyes get almost completely black during this.

Is this actually mating behavior? No clue.

[graye]

I'd venture to say they're probably still quite young, not fully developed yet. Haven't kept shell dwellers myself, my water's too soft and my interests lie elsewhere, but I have had some experience with Tanganyikan tanks. What you've described sounds similar to young fish still in the 'getting to know each other' phase, not feeling too territorial just yet. You've got a 40-gallon tank, I'm wondering what size tank the person you read about used - could be a factor, especially if it was a smaller tank. It used to be common practice to keep shell dwellers in tanks that I wouldn't even consider using today, due to their small size. That might be part of the explanation. Could be, anyway - haven't kept the group myself to confirm.

[cichlidgirl22]

I'd venture to say they're probably still quite young, not fully developed yet. Haven't kept shell dwellers myself, my water's too soft and my interests lie elsewhere, but I have had some experience with Tanganyikan tanks. What you've described sounds similar to young fish still in the 'getting to know each other' phase, not feeling too territorial just yet. You've got a 40-gallon tank, I'm wondering what size tank the person you read about used - could be a factor, especially if it was a smaller tank. It used to be common practice to keep shell dwellers in tanks that I wouldn't even consider using today, due to their small size. That might be part of the explanation. Could be, anyway - haven't kept the group myself to confirm.

I think I found the source of the 'real venom' claim - it's seriouslyfish.com. They actually recommend keeping these fish in a large tank. With my 40g breeder, I'm wondering if the reason I'm not seeing that aggression is because they have plenty of space to roam.

[coltin]

I'd love to see a video of your fish in action. Typically, shell dweller cichlids live in family groups and get along pretty well with their relatives. It's usually during breeding or when unfamiliar fish enter their territory that things get a bit testy.

[willie32]

I'd love to see a video of your fish in action. Typically, shell dweller cichlids live in family groups and get along pretty well with their relatives. It's usually during breeding or when unfamiliar fish enter their territory that things get a bit testy.

Yeah, that's right, multis and similis are all about family bonds. You'll see the parents taking care of the youngest ones, and the older generations helping out with the slightly bigger ones. It's only when outsiders come along that you'll see any aggression.

[graye]

I spent years keeping Neolamprologus marunguensis, mainly to observe their social dynamics. Although they aren't shell dwellers, their behavior is quite similar. What I noticed was that young males became quite aggressive once they reached adulthood and didn't disperse to form new groups. By the time they were about a year old, I had to relocate them to prevent conflicts within the group. However, sibling groups got along great, and they took turns raising the younger broods. It was truly fascinating to watch this species thrive.

I think I might have overlooked the fact that your Neolamprologus similis could be closely related, which might explain their relatively peaceful behavior.