carpintis cichlids pairing

[davew]

i've got 7 carpintis cichlids that i am hoping to get a pair from they are about 4" long and as yet none have paired which i find a bit odd, there is the odd bit of flaring and chasing but that's it.
i've never kept them before, roughly how big should they be before they start to pair off.
they sometimes face each other and look as though they are going to lip lock and there mouths touch but they don't try and grab each other

 

[Dispatch273]

Mine were 5" when they had their first spawn. I'd imagine that at 4" they would start to pair off. Good luck!

 

[jgentry]

Should be pairing off anytime if the tank is large enough and there is plenty of spawning sites for them. They do not pair off as much as they spawn and then distroy each other though. Have a divider handy as they get a lot rougher with each other as they grow. I've never been able to keep adult males and females together with a divider.

 

[davew]

thanks, hopefully they start to pair soon then