Gender ID (I NEED THIS FOR SCIENCE PROJECT)
- Thread starter SalviniCichlidFan
- Start date
Good news! My cichlid research project has allowed me to advance into the JSHS tournament!
Good question! It's about whether cichlids are more aggressive to cichlids from the same location vs. cichlids from different locations. For example, I tested to see if my Orange Peacock cichlid was more aggressive towards the other Lake Malawi cichlids or towards the American cichlids in the tank.
What are your guesses to whether the Peacock cichlid was more aggressive to Lake Malawi cichlids or to American cichlids?
Wait what you just said may be very important for my research. Can you elaborate on "what it's conditioned to compete with?"
I’m not sure if this is 100% accurate and more of an assumption.
In the rift lakes, there are a lot of cichlids and little territory. This scarcity of space leads to the aftrican cichlids being so mean - they are in constant competition. It will be mean to all fish, but certain behaviors and looks that are shared by the rifties are going to look like more of a threat.
Also with Americans, like body shapes tend to be more hated by cichlids as they see a fish that can challenge it for breeding and such.
In the rift lakes, there are a lot of cichlids and little territory. This scarcity of space leads to the aftrican cichlids being so mean - they are in constant competition. It will be mean to all fish, but certain behaviors and looks that are shared by the rifties are going to look like more of a threat.
Also with Americans, like body shapes tend to be more hated by cichlids as they see a fish that can challenge it for breeding and such.
there are quite some morphological differences in those sort of fish. For example most malawis have spots on their fins to tell if they are male or female.
i would also guess that they compete for different causes such as food, territory, defending youngs or eggs and for sexs(who gets the female)
Well food can be in abundance in the aquarium so they wont really compete for that.
-unless you start feeding them less and less? (Could be interesting for your project)
Then territory would be completely dependent on how big the tank and how you scaped it. If there are enough hiding spots and the tank is big enough there should be almost no aggression for territory claiming
Sexs should be less compitatition since most arent the same species, only malawis with spots will maybe compete for a female. Since they use the same 'language'.
If cichlids are breeding they should attack everything, but only if they care for their youngs, if the parents dont raise them there will be no need for aggression in the parents to protect them. For example convicts get really annoying and will beat up an oscar if they have eggs. What they normally would never do.
But something without care for their youngs, will eat the youngs instead of fight other fish to protect it.
but... i had a question.If you wane see how they react to eachother you should also see how they react without eachother right? you cant compare different fish without their normal behaviour studied.
i would also guess that they compete for different causes such as food, territory, defending youngs or eggs and for sexs(who gets the female)
Well food can be in abundance in the aquarium so they wont really compete for that.
-unless you start feeding them less and less? (Could be interesting for your project)
Then territory would be completely dependent on how big the tank and how you scaped it. If there are enough hiding spots and the tank is big enough there should be almost no aggression for territory claiming
Sexs should be less compitatition since most arent the same species, only malawis with spots will maybe compete for a female. Since they use the same 'language'.
If cichlids are breeding they should attack everything, but only if they care for their youngs, if the parents dont raise them there will be no need for aggression in the parents to protect them. For example convicts get really annoying and will beat up an oscar if they have eggs. What they normally would never do.
But something without care for their youngs, will eat the youngs instead of fight other fish to protect it.
but... i had a question.If you wane see how they react to eachother you should also see how they react without eachother right? you cant compare different fish without their normal behaviour studied.
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