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Hi guys'n'gals,
I have developed a theory over the last few years about SA cichlid pair bonds in the home aquarium. Now I don't claim this theory as mine, it's influenced from reading published material about SA eartheaters, dwarf acaras and apistogramma, from watching quite a few videos of SA cichlids in thier natural habitat, and my own and others personal experiences. If I refer to it as my theory, it' just how I think about it. I am sure there probably is a body of work out there that discusses cichlid pair bonds in depth, it's just that I have yet to come across it.
The thoery is, that there is no such thing as a life time "bonded pair" in the wild and that this is home aquarium phenomenon. Atleast where most SA cichlids are concerened.
I believe that in the wild pair bonds will form for the duration of mating and raising fry untill the fry are of an age that the parents stop protecting them. Once the fry are "let go", the pair will seperate and rejoin the larger species group, or go thier seperate ways.
However in the home aquarium, things operate a fair bit different. In some cases we may keep a "pair" in the one aquarium for thier entire life, either in a breeding tank setup or as a pair in a community aquarium setup. There is no chance for the pair to split up and go thier seperate ways. In some cases the pair forms a strong permanent bond, with little or no aggression between the two. In other cases, the bond is strong during mating and raising fry, but outside of this period a fair amount of aggression can be witnessed, usually from the male towards the female.
Quite a few SA cichlid species live in large communal groups, I am sure most here will have seen videos of Angels and Discus in large groups in the wild. Many geophagus species form such groups as well, so do some dwarf acara species such as Laetacara curviceps, while many apistogramma species are found in small or large colonies. I believe that during mating seaon pairs will seperate from the main group and find a suitable spawning location, and subsequently raise thier fry untill the fry are old enough to fend for themselves.
Many of the "predator" species live a more solitary existence. You might find a large number in close proximity , but they do not congregate together like the schooling species. Similar to some of your North American fresh water game fish species. There are exceptions of course. I remember watching one Upper Rio ***** video that showed half a dozen adult pikes hunting together. It's possoble that with these species that males fill defend a suitable spawning site and hope to entice passing females to spawn. The pair may then protect the fry untill the fry are able to look after themselves, or are driven off. In some cases it's possible for one parent to be left with looking after the fry. Again I remember watching a video from Venezuala of a female pike with some very large juveniles in tow.
I believe that when buying cichlids, you should be carefull when some one says that they are selling a bonded pair. Especially when it comes to the larger, more aggressive SA (and CA) cichlids. The term mated pair may be a more appropriate term. They may have produced and raised fry in an aquarium before, however it doesn't mean they are mated for life, and will behave as a pair for life.
I have developed a theory over the last few years about SA cichlid pair bonds in the home aquarium. Now I don't claim this theory as mine, it's influenced from reading published material about SA eartheaters, dwarf acaras and apistogramma, from watching quite a few videos of SA cichlids in thier natural habitat, and my own and others personal experiences. If I refer to it as my theory, it' just how I think about it. I am sure there probably is a body of work out there that discusses cichlid pair bonds in depth, it's just that I have yet to come across it.
The thoery is, that there is no such thing as a life time "bonded pair" in the wild and that this is home aquarium phenomenon. Atleast where most SA cichlids are concerened.
I believe that in the wild pair bonds will form for the duration of mating and raising fry untill the fry are of an age that the parents stop protecting them. Once the fry are "let go", the pair will seperate and rejoin the larger species group, or go thier seperate ways.
However in the home aquarium, things operate a fair bit different. In some cases we may keep a "pair" in the one aquarium for thier entire life, either in a breeding tank setup or as a pair in a community aquarium setup. There is no chance for the pair to split up and go thier seperate ways. In some cases the pair forms a strong permanent bond, with little or no aggression between the two. In other cases, the bond is strong during mating and raising fry, but outside of this period a fair amount of aggression can be witnessed, usually from the male towards the female.
Quite a few SA cichlid species live in large communal groups, I am sure most here will have seen videos of Angels and Discus in large groups in the wild. Many geophagus species form such groups as well, so do some dwarf acara species such as Laetacara curviceps, while many apistogramma species are found in small or large colonies. I believe that during mating seaon pairs will seperate from the main group and find a suitable spawning location, and subsequently raise thier fry untill the fry are old enough to fend for themselves.
Many of the "predator" species live a more solitary existence. You might find a large number in close proximity , but they do not congregate together like the schooling species. Similar to some of your North American fresh water game fish species. There are exceptions of course. I remember watching one Upper Rio ***** video that showed half a dozen adult pikes hunting together. It's possoble that with these species that males fill defend a suitable spawning site and hope to entice passing females to spawn. The pair may then protect the fry untill the fry are able to look after themselves, or are driven off. In some cases it's possible for one parent to be left with looking after the fry. Again I remember watching a video from Venezuala of a female pike with some very large juveniles in tow.
I believe that when buying cichlids, you should be carefull when some one says that they are selling a bonded pair. Especially when it comes to the larger, more aggressive SA (and CA) cichlids. The term mated pair may be a more appropriate term. They may have produced and raised fry in an aquarium before, however it doesn't mean they are mated for life, and will behave as a pair for life.