Really strange behaviour o.O

I swear every time I look my tank, the male keyhole is doing something to annoy someone else in the tank.
But I've just seen him do something I've never seen before- the female keyhole was just hanging out next to him, and he started to shake. He then proceeded to start digging in the sand. Just really weirded out, because I've heard fish can have fits, and dad had a rasbora that we named Twitchy, because it literally twitched continuously. Anyone have any idea as to what the little bugger is up to now?

His markings were all fine- no stress colours, and the female seemed pretty unconcerned. I fed them blood worm last night and I'm just wondering if he was searching for left overs, as that's what he's doing now (whilst showing stress colours, daft fish!), but just doing it in a more fancy way?

Shimmying is typical cichlid courtship. He is basically saying to the female how about this spot, you will find they will do this all over the tank for days until the female finds a place she likes. If you have a teracotta plant pot this is one of the preferred spots for keyholes, they do like them to spawn in my pair did. Looks like your going to have a spawning in the next couple of weeks

Haha, bloody hell! I shall have to see what I can find for them then
I really thought that was something might be wrong, just because I've never had any experience with cichlids before now.

The Krobia were shimming at each other the other week too, now I think about it

Bryn and I have just found a flat, so we'll be moving in in the next couple of weeks. I've been promised a replacement rio 180 (I'm trying to push it up to a 4 footer ), as the flat is pretty small. So I'll be happy once they're all in a bigger tank again

I love watching keyholes doing this..

You will find once one pair starts they all start. When my Elliotti spawn my 3 male belems all shimmy at each other, a couple of weeks ago 2 had "paired" and were both fertilizing the bogwood PMSL They guarded the fertilized bogwood for about a week but with no female they were wasting their time,

Oh god, I hope they don't all start My male panchax is constantly following the female around too >.< I'll feel awful for uprooting them in a couple of weeks. Once they're all settled into a bigger tank, they can do what they like!

I remember you posting about your belems XD Bless em

You know sods law the morning you are due to move they will have eggs!. All fish get excitable when a pair is spawning its all the hormones released in the tank, its why I cant have a female of any species in with Tich the texas, he get right stroppy.

I'm having to leave them here for a couple of weeks whilst we settle in and work out where to put the tanks. We've only got a 1 room flat so I need to find a way to fit a 3 footer (or maybe larger if I can) in first. Luckily dad keeps fish too so he knows how to look after them until I find a new tank in Cheshire.

So the buggers have until then to get it out of their systems, lol

well if they do spawn while you are getting settled at least you know you will be able to see it next time