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Hello all!

I'm sorry I don't have time to look up more info on this before asking about it; but I did skim through the recent threads and couldn't find anything.

First off, let me explain what's happening:

I had been noticing for a week or so that one section of my gravel had been getting higher and higher, but never put any real thought into it.

This evening, not more than 30 minutes ago, my mother saw my Cobalt Cichlid picking up a piece of gravel and spitting it back out on the pile that had been growing.

I was astonished No wonder!! This little fella has been building up a small wall around the cave he usually hides out in.

Here are photos of the pile infront of the little terra-cotta cave (and that is the fish in both photos).

The cave is the one furthest right


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/CrySanctuary/Cobalt1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/CrySanctuary/Cobalt2.jpg

He's litterally cleared the gravel out to the bottom! It was originally about 1 1/2 inches deep throughout the tank.

My question is this:

What is the cause of this behavior?

-Is the fish stressed?
-Possibly pregnant?
-In need of a deeper, darker hiding place?

If either of the first two - please explain how I could possibly tell if the Cichlid is pregnant, or what I could do to make it's habitat a less stressful one.

Also, one more question just for knowledge sake:

Do Cichlids give live-birth or to eggs?

Thank you,

Crystal

Last edited by crystalsp at 06-Dec-2004 20:16

I have a male auratus in a tank by himself and he is always moving the gravel from one big pile he's made to another.Taking a piece of gravel going to the top of the tank and then spitting it out. I've had him for about 5 years and the best I can figure it just seems to be his nature to do this. It doesn't seem to mean anything other than he likes all the gravel in the tank in one corner in a big pile as high as he can get it.

Yep, it's totally natural behaviour for mbuna and isn't really related to anything like breeding. Mbuna are mouth-brooders, usually spawning will take place on a flat rock where the female will scoop up the eggs and carry them in her mouth until they hatch. Usually she'll keep the fry in there for a while as well, protecting them. The way to tell if a cichlid is 'pregnant' is to see the female with a swollen jaw.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

Ah, what a relief! I was a bit worried as we aren't really prepared for fries!

Thank you both

Isn't it interesting to see them do this? I am still in awe; creative little creatures!

Atually it is more related to breeding, and your fish is probably a male. As mouth brooders, the males will dig pits in which to spawn in. Even when females are not around, they will do this just in case any females happen by. In the wild, they will actually have several pits in their territory dug out for breeding, to impress females into theirs vs others.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Wow,Breeding habits I never knew that. Just amazing what you can learn from people on this web site. Thanks for the info ACIDRAIN

This is true, and it is pretty much only mature males that do it, I was just trying to point out that it is not breeding behaviour as in your fish are definitely about to spawn. I have had males do this even without females in the tank, as Acidrain suggested. It seems to me that it is also a way of creating some big cave territory for themselves, as these mbuna do love their caves! If you look under any of the big rocks in my tank, you will see a hill of sand in front and a huge hole underneath - and usually one of the dominant males will poke his head out now and again and chase away any other fish that come near!

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde