Sparring

Sparring - Aggressive encounters between two fish (usually males) involving Display, Lip-Locking, or other forms of contest.
Spawn - 1. v. To deposit and fertilize eggs. 2. n. The fertilized eggs of fish. The offspring of fish.

Fish like rainbowfish are especially vulnerable, and their sparring behaviour supports the bacterias' spread.

Some sparring will occur as this is the ritual of their mating but should not be permitted to last for great length of time. The process of the pair "being ready" can take from l hour to 4 or 5 days.

This lets them get acquainted with one another and cuts down on the sparring session that sometimes precedes the spawning act.
When the male has his nest built and the pair has settled down a bit, the female can be released from the jar.

In the wild, even several males live together in ditches and klongs, frequently sparring against each other to show dominance but rarely killing each other which in an aquarium, unfortunately, ...

However, sparring often takes place. If all is well and she is ready, he will lead her to a spot under the nest and "embrace" her, the eggs are then released. The female may look weak and lay motionless, but she will recover.

The firemouth is one of those fish that does not look like much when small, but when they mature - and especially when they are in breeding colors - they are spectacular to behold. Mature fish, when sparring with each other or trying to scare away an ...

They are territorial with their own kind, but several can be kept in a spacious tank with plenty of decor, which should only result in occasional sparring rather than serious aggression. This species is not imported often.

They didn't fight like njisseni-type apistos, but there was territorial sparring.

See also: Spawn, Fish, Water, Spawning, Species