The World Of Jack Dempsey Cichlids

Aggressive Dad and Timid Mom Jack Dempsey fish

 

   Male Jack Dempsey cichlid fish can be and often are very aggressive with their tank mates, even their female mates. The female Jack Dempsey most often needs a place to get out of his way when he is being aggressive.  A cave of some type is a good idea, something that she can squeeze into but not the male.  When they are ready to mate, she will venture out and make advances towards her male.  If he is responsive, she will continue, otherwise she will continue to seek the shelter of her hideaway.  

    When finally he is less aggressive with the female she will leave her cave.  She will still be a bit cautious with him but his aggression has turned to tolerance and is going about his business now.  In a few days I find the female swimming at the side of the male most of the time.  She attempts to get him into the mating dance by shaking and twitching by his side and eventually he responds more frequently.  She continues this several days to a week before spawning with him.  Her color is now vivid with deep black on her sides and chin and gills lit up like Times Square. She is ready and waiting now for the male to fully respond to her signs. 

    The male is quickly becoming ready to mate and as this occurs he begins to attack more vigorously the  mirror that hangs on the outside of the tank.  His reflection that he sees is thought to be another Jack Dempsey trying to invade his territory and his female.    When he attacks his reflection, his body shakes and shudders violently sometimes.  (see Lip Lock Video)  This stimulates his female and she will open her mouth wide and press against the side of his body. The colors of both are very intense at this time and makes for awesome photographs.   It’s very interesting to watch them interact because his tolerance of her is sometimes limited and he will become very aggressive with her.  They will often Lip Lock now and if he’s too aggressive, she will rush back into her cave for a spell while the male continues attacking his reflection in the mirror. I would say that 60% of his time is spent in that mirror and as for the rest of the time, he’s resting or looking at the mirror from across the tank.  This continues right up to the time when she is ready to lay her eggs. 

   The Male continues his mirror aggression but occasionally he turns to the female and demonstrates some interest. This would be the typical Cichlid dance involving shuddering, shivering and wriggling all around each other. This is only an occasional occurrence initially but this activity  increase with each passing day.

    The female spends most all of her time now outside the cave and preparing an egg laying site.  She also spends time with the male, shoving him around and trying to get him to help her clean and prepare her selected rock for laying her eggs.   He shows a little more interest in her but continues to spend most of his time challenging his own reflection in the mirror.  It isn’t until she is just a few hours away from laying eggs that the male will get fully involved in helping out with the preparations.  This is a definite indication that they are ready to begin anytime now.  The entire process is enjoyable to watch as these little critters seem to ignore everything around them and totally focus on bringing new life into their World of Jack Dempseys.  —

            … Jack Lamountain