Tank revamp

[Jaybird]

Well, I've brought my 30G back into service. I've put my 3 checkerboards and 3 bolivians in there, a couple of shrimp and a new bristlenose pleco. I've cylcled it back into service as my non-aggressive SA tank while my 90G has become my aggressive tank.

In the aggressive tank there are now three firemouths, 4 convicts, and two salvinis. My question is in regards to the convicts.

I know that everyone says that they will breed like crazy, and that doesn't bother me. I don't care if I give the small ones back to the LFS for free. It's how to tell the males from females. I have two that are about one inch long and two that are about two inches long. Of the two that are one inch long, one has a lot of pink on its belly while the other has no colours other than the typical grey background with black stripes. Of the two larger ones, one of them has a bit of pinkish/orangish scales on its belly, but its dorsal and anal fins have MUCH longer extensions than the other one who again is just a beautiful slate with black bars.

How accurate is the colouration on the belly for determining sex? I am hoping for two of the four to pair off, and then trade the the other two back to the LFS.

As a separate question, can anyone recommend any other good tankmates for them? I'm thinking texas cichlids or blue acaras, but I think that the acaras might not do well in the tank as the others mature.

As always, your guys input is always welcomed and greatly appreciated.

*EDIT*
It looks like the night answered my convice sexing question. The two-inch convict with the long fin extensions and a little pink/orange scale on the belly has started to shack-up with the one-inch convict with a lot of red/pink on its belly. There is a small natural cave in a rock that can just fit the two of them at the same time, and they seem to spend a lot of time in it. I think they are still in the preparation stage, where they are cleaning the inside and around the cave.

 

[goalorientation]

Hey dude the salmonish colors represent females so looks like ur split sexwise. I got jewel cichlids with my convicts and they do marvelous together, especially with clown loaches dancing around em'

Good luck I've read they make very good parents and would sacrafice self to protect eggs

 

[Jaybird]

That's what I am hoping. It's just that the small one with a lot of pink on the belly chases away the small one without any colour, and the two larger ones bluff each other all the time.

The only two that seem to be tolerable of each other are the larger one with fin extentions that go to the end of his tail (but he has some orangish scales on the belly) and the smaller one with a lot of pink on the belly. Any other combination of the four convicts results in a short chase or bluff run. These two don't fight at all. So, I'm hoping that the pairing sticks. So far no eggs, but I am really hoping.

 

[goalorientation]

I got 2 also that are 1" long and they chase each other and everyone else around the tank... I guess it's how cichlids get their exercise cuz my jewel cichlids join right in! The clown loaches just crowch under rocks and between coral and bamboo.