Why do I have seisures?

[Krutchh]

Can anyone identify my blue african? I think he's a male. Every once and a while I'll catch him shaking and he turns pale temporarily. Is this a parasite? no one else does it in the tank.

 

[Krutchh]

*seizures

 

[kay-bee19]

It's possibly doing a shimmy or a 'display', basically advertising it's dominance, an activity that many mbuna's will do, especially top-tier males.

Some mbuna's will follow up a shimmy with a charge (or attack) directed at rivals or may commence breeding with a receptive female. The display (which appears seizure-like) demonstrates the cichlid's vibrance and vitality. The movements broadcast waves which other mbuna's in the vicinity can detect, and I think I recall they also release (and fan) pheromones. They will also fan out their fins as they do it.

 

[Krutchh]

Hey thanks for the reply. That's awesome I'm glad he's not sick. In fact, this gives my tank a whole new dimension. Looking forward to seeing it again and what his follow up move is.

 

[OsciTheOscar]

thats good to know cause i have fish that do this... i kinda figured it was something of this sort and not seizures but now i know for certain...

 

[garfy]

And by the way you have a male cobalt blue zebra.

 

[Oblivion]

if he does his shake in full view, and others tend to move away its dominance. he may break out in a kind of high speed merry-go-round or just a chase, with another fish if they are fighting for pack order.

if he's doing it (usually in a cave) and another one is doing a kind of T movement (one fish sideways to the other) its more than likely breeding.

fast forward to 1min mark:


Planet Earth - Fresh Water - Malawi part - YouTube

 

[Krutchh]

this video is awesome thanks for the link. those crater breeding beds are so advanced. pretty rad.