Locking lips?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Convict2161

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
14,818
Location
Planet Earth
Am I in trouble again in my tank or is this normal what is going on? My 2 albino zebras. There white and one is showing some orange on the top fin. I was watching them and they were face to face going back and fourth and then locked lips and had a little struggle back fourth. No nipping just kinda nose to nose.

It was interesting to watch really as I have never witnessed this before. Anyway they did this for a while then the one without the orange backed off a bit then went back for more. They continued until the all white one again gave up and swam away. There next to eachother now, which I find odd. Are they friends now or are they testing eachother? I tried to get a video but my phone had died.

Am I ok? I get nervous since I've been through a lot with my tank so far.

Thank in advance for your responses.

Dino

EDIT:

They are the same size and here is a picture of one of them.



View attachment 66268
 
Last edited:
Sounds like territorial behavior between two males. IME they will continue this behavior until one or the other is dead or removed; if you continue to allow it go on, you'll likely end up with both of them beat up, and maybe even one with its lip tore off.
 
Wy Renegade said:
Sounds like territorial behavior between two males. IME they will continue this behavior until one or the other is dead or removed; if you continue to allow it go on, you'll likely end up with both of them beat up, and maybe even one with its lip tore off.

Great!! Another re home challenge. Here we go again. I'm gonna be a pro when I'm done! lol. Live and learn!
 
My mbunas do this all the time. It's just a fight for dominance thing. Absolutely nothing to worry about. The fact that they're fighting with each other is probably a good thing; it means neither of them is getting bullied too much.
 
wait it out & see if it continues for a few days. just watch them closely like i know you will :)
 
This is in a 75g right? If so then I doubt you have anything to worry about.

If one of your fish starts to hide all the time, then you need to be concerned. I would consider this friendly rivalry at this point. It's fairly normal behavior.

No need to fish em' out.
 
Whew!!! Ok lol I'm gonna wait it out and keep an eye on them. I don't know what's harder. Taking care of my 4 month old son or taking care of my 75g fish tank! lol
 
Jesh, I wish you guys would come whisper to the ones in my 100gal tanks - for some reason they don't engage in friendly rivalry; they get downright mean about their breeding territories ;). Course mine aren't very overstocked either, so that may be part of the issue.
 
Jesh, I wish you guys would come whisper to the ones in my 100gal tanks - for some reason they don't engage in friendly rivalry; they get downright mean about their breeding territories ;). Course mine aren't very overstocked either, so that may be part of the issue.

Do you have africans or C/S americans? Just curious.

If they are africans, what have you got? Probably something really mean I bet.
 
Do you have africans or C/S americans? Just curious.

If they are africans, what have you got? Probably something really mean I bet.

My fish are all Africans - two 100gal tanks; one with just OB zebras and one with BB Red-topped Zebras and yellow labs. Over the years I've kept most types of mbuna, and these are the ones I've kind of settled on keeping.
 
Africans and were trying to figure that out. Like I said I fell victim to the "mixed" tank. So were in the process of identifying them all. I know I have some yellow labs, orange zebras, blue cobalts, albino zebras, I believe some snow whites, ice blue zebras. I believe a few johanni's.

2 of these



View attachment 66271
 
Last edited:
I meant tangs lol that's Garfy for the name I was thinking of. Con they were kidding about the mixed African tank, they mixed fish from the whole continent instead of mixed fish from specific lakes. Rough luck man
 
Yeah this is a shame... I went there and spoke with the manager, it's a chain so he really could care less. But I got the number to corporate I pulled my chief status. I'm going to call them. Even if it does nothing at least it will make me feel better. The manager offered to refund all money on all returned fish dead or alive. I told him that's not the point.

It really was a one way conversation I was talking to a kid who thought he knew the world over twice!
 
Yeah as long as you feel better. Lol I've boycotted all the chain stores here. I'd rather not get anything then go tto them.
 
Back
Top Bottom