Have you noticed recently that your cichlids are shaking or vibrating? There are many reasons why they might be doing this, the most common reason is listed below.
The movements of most African cichlids are either to threaten another fish or to flirt. When an African cichlid shakes or vibrates its body, it is usually a sign of aggression, although it can also be a sign of flirting. It is probably threatening another fish to stay off its territory, mate, or food.
Below is a video I found of an african cichild shaking
Is my African Cichlid Shaking or Vibrating?
To know if your African cichlid is vibrating, you would have to take a closer look at the fish and monitor its body movements. The fish don’t need to attack other fish before it displays aggression; it can show dominance. The fish can also vibrate or shake its body as a sign of flirting or mating.
You will see the fish vibrating its tails and fins gesturing towards other fish during the shaking display, either to stay off its territory or to attract the other sex as a mate. You can liken the fish’s shaking and vibration to posturing because the fish tries to display that it is worth the other mate or territory.
Whatever way your African cichlid is shaking or vibrating, you have to tell if it is vibrating due to aggression or mating. Knowing will help you determine how to help the fish; you will need to attend to aggressive behaviors but won’t have a problem with the mating behaviors. You can detect if it is due to aggression or mating by checking out other actions accompanying the vibration and shaking.
What Should I Do If My African Cichlid Is Shaking?
The action you will take depends on the cause of your African cichlid’s vibration. If the fish is shaking due to aggression, you have a lot of work to do. But if it is shaking to flirt, then you have a little or no work to do.
African cichlids can be very aggressive, which means you have to pay attention to them to prevent them from hurting each other. Aggression usually results in small injuries of the participant, which you would not want for your fish. You can take out the aggressive fish or separate the fish using a partition or tank divider.
It will help the fish stay apart and prevent aggression in the tank. You can also create enough hiding space using decorations, live plants, and other structures for the other fish to hide when the display of aggression begins. Aggression between the same sex is more likely to happen while aggression between different sex does not often occur, so ensure there is more opposite sex in the tank, and the aggression will be minimal.
If the African cichlid is shaking to mate with females in the tank, you might not need to attend to them. But if the pressure is too much on the female, you might need to add other females to the tank to divide the aggression among themselves. Note that female African cichlids can also vibrate to flirt or show dominance and aggression.
How Do I Calm My African Cichlids Down?
There are various ways you can calm your African cichlids to reduce aggression. You can reduce your cichlid’s aggression by adding fish with similar temperament characteristics and size with the cichlids to the same tank. You can also combine fish with different colorations and patterns to reduce aggressive behavior.
You can add fish that occupy different water levels in the tank and provide enough hiding and horizontal space. Most importantly, you have to feed the fish adequately because a well-fed fish will not have much time to run after other fish.
Is My African Cichlid Dying?
To know if your cichlid is dying, you would have to pay attention to their behaviors. There will be a deviation from the normal state of health of the fish. It will start to lose appetite, have discolored feces, staying at the bottom of the tank, breathes rapidly, has a swelling abdomen, etc.
Conclusion
African cichlids will shake when trying to display dominance and aggression towards other fish in the tank. They will also vibrate or shake when flirting or trying to mate. Both male and female African cichlids will vibrate and shake when they need to.
African cichlids are one of the largest freshwater aquarium fish growing up to 4 to 10 inches in length. They are very colorful and adorable with hardy characteristics, making them easy to care for and maintain. These fish exhibit several behaviors that help them pass messages to one another and their owners; an example of these behaviors is their bodies’ shaking.
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