Convict Confusion

[cichlidcasey]

So I had a group of 8 convicts. I raised.them till they paired off then sold all but one pair... What I thought was a female pink and a male black. Though the pink.had the elongated fins and orange color I believed it was female. The black seemed to have shorter fins but still orange. They had laid eggs before but I never witnessed which one laid the eggs. Now a days its hard to sex convicts due to inbreeding and mixbreeding of the species.
Yesterday I noticed the black convict whom I believed to be a male was holding eggs. At some time today she laid her eggs and the pink convict previously thought to be a female is paired up with the black.
Question is....if there both female (which I doubt) would one let the other near the eggs?
Would another female help protect the eggs?
They spend equal time in the cave/nest
And it is possible that I was mistaken on the sex of these fish and that I sold off the wrong fish but luckily still ended up with a pair.

 

[Colwell]

From what I've heard if you only have two female convicts in a tank one will sort of become the "alpha male" and slightly change colors to look like a male. They will even try and fertilize the eggs even though obviously it won't work. It's pretty kool that they can change colors though, Note I am new to cichlids myself so I could be misinformed

 

[cichlidcasey]

Their colors have not changed at all. The pink convicts fins are noticeably longer the the black convicts. I just always assumed the pink was a female.

 

[Wyomingite]

So I had a group of 8 convicts. I raised.them till they paired off then sold all but one pair... What I thought was a female pink and a male black. Though the pink.had the elongated fins and orange color I believed it was female. The black seemed to have shorter fins but still orange. They had laid eggs before but I never witnessed which one laid the eggs. Now a days its hard to sex convicts due to inbreeding and mixbreeding of the species.
Yesterday I noticed the black convict whom I believed to be a male was holding eggs. At some time today she laid her eggs and the pink convict previously thought to be a female is paired up with the black.
Question is....if there both female (which I doubt) would one let the other near the eggs?
Would another female help protect the eggs?
They spend equal time in the cave/nest
And it is possible that I was mistaken on the sex of these fish and that I sold off the wrong fish but luckily still ended up with a pair.

View attachment 129019

Question is....if there both female (which I doubt) would one let the other near the eggs? Yes. It actually isn't unusual for females to "pair" up. Both females care for the eggs. In some cases I've seen both females lay during the mock spawning and in others I've seen only one lay. I've also had angelfish do the same and currently have a "pair" of female firemouths.

Would another female help protect the eggs? Again, yes, until the eggs show infertile or get fungused and the fish pick at 'em and eat them until no eggs are left.

And it is possible that I was mistaken on the sex of these fish and that I sold off the wrong fish but luckily still ended up with a pair. Yup.

I've also had female convicts lay without another fish in the tank.

Wondrous fish, convicts, with a very strong instinct to procreate...

WYite

 

[cichlidcasey]

I know they'll lay eggs wiithout a mate. When I had 8 convicts the females would lay eggs by themselves but they never let any other fish near them not other males or females.