Electric blue acara and orange saum behaviour

[Vix1987]

Hi does anyone know if there’s a way to attach a video to thread posts? If so could you let me know

I’d like anyone’s opinion who keeps these two particular fish. Both of my fish either spend the day together sitting or swimming next to each other or they display what looks like dominance/or breeding behaviour, in particular they shimmy in front of each other and either nip (without doing damage) or they mouth leaves and pull them with their mouths (hard to explain) . I do have females in the tank but I’m unsure if the saum is female I suspect it is. The pattern is they shimmery and leaf mouth and one backs down but I’ve also seen the pair of them seem to team up and have a pop at my Honduran red point and my rainbow(which my rainbow is very placid unless provoked) . They tend to kick off the rest of the tank when they do this behaviour like just now. I’ve attached some pictures

I do have another tank and can reshuffle everyone if necessary as I don’t want them all to be constantly at each other if it’s purely aggression that will get worse

move also tried to get the best angles to hopefully sex the saum

also I’m not sure if it is relevant but the behaviour happens more when I’m doing a water change

 

[MacZ]

Hi does anyone know if there’s a way to attach a video to thread posts? If so could you let me know

Upload to extrernal (e.g. youtube and paste the link here.)

Not a central american cichlid specialist, but from what I know from keeping Malawis, Tanganyikans and Amazonian cichlids: Reshuffle, if necessary even permanently separate or rehome some of them.

And if somebody recommends "time out" ignore that, because it's not going to work on any fish. The top dominant fish will just be removed, stressed and resume doing what they're doing, after a short while.

Btw, looking at the developing nucal hump the Goldsaum likely is a male, but not yet really mature.

 

[TClare]

Blue acara and GT are closely related and can hybridize, I suspect from this behaviour that your two are forming a pair and might decide to spawn soon. If so there might be problems for the other cichlids. I agree the saum is a male.

 

[Vix1987]

Thanks guys , the saum has started to put on size but I couldn’t be sure as the dorsal looked more rounded to me. I’ll keep an eye on them and possibly move my electric in with my blue acara in my other tank. They are the only types of fish in the ones I’m keeping currently which like to inhabit the higher part of the water column.
It was more the chasing other fish away from their spot that threw me because I’ve only ever seen that in pairing cichlids

Upload to extrernal (e.g. youtube and paste the link here.)

Not a central american cichlid specialist, but from what I know from keeping Malawis, Tanganyikans and Amazonian cichlids: Reshuffle, if necessary even permanently separate or rehome some of them.

And if somebody recommends "time out" ignore that, because it's not going to work on any fish. The top dominant fish will just be removed, stressed and resume doing what they're doing, after a short while.

Btw, looking at the developing nucal hump the Goldsaum likely is a male, but not yet really mature.

And I also agree the time out method doesn’t work
Whilst I am on the subject would you say my electric is definitely male? He has really pointed Fins but looks like egg duct sticking out

I don’t know how to “vent” fish and wouldn’t try as I’d stress them out
Well…. It appears the answer has now revealed itself … my electric is a female and I have a load of eggs on the leaf. And she really did look like a male