Peacock Cichlids colors

[FishNewbee]

I just got two peacock cichlids from lfs. They are both various shades of brown, not much color at all. One of them does seem to have some orange above his eyes and around his face. I'm wondering, do cichlids "color up" as they mature, maybe mine are younger? They are about 2 1/2 inches, maybe 3 inches already and I know they don't get much bigger. Or, did I just end up with two females, since based on the research I've done, the females just don't get very colorful. Also, could they be immature males, at least one of them perhaps, and changing water parameters might color them up a bit? If they are going to stay brown, I may return them. The whole reason I chose cichlids is because I wanted to add some more color to my tank. Thanks!

 

[Sicklid]

Well, you may possibly have two females, but don't return them! What species are they? Get yourself a male and with two females around he will color up for sure!

 

[FishNewbee]

Yes, after some more research, I read that juveniles all start out brown and the males will gain color as they mature. Sure enough, one of them is starting to turn blue and orange! It's really exciting to watch and see what he'll become. The other one I'm almost positive is a female. She hasn't changed any coloration at all, and I'm starting to notice between the two of them, that his anal fin is more pointed with the dots and hers is more rounded, with no dots. I know this is a good marker for determining gender in other types of cichlids. So, now it's pretty sure I have a male and a female. Should I get another female?

Also, I have two jewel cichlids and I'm pretty sure they are both males. I have heard the recommended ratio is 2 females for every male. I don't want to go out and get 4 more jewels. Would getting just one female jewel (with the two males in the tank) be a good idea, or disastrous? I wish I could trade in one of the male jewels but my lfs has a 2 week return policy and I'm past that. They seem to be getting a little more aggressive, esp. when they "glow red". Any suggestions with that scenario would be much appreciated, also.

Thanks for responding Sicklid! In answer to your first question, I spent a lot of time looking up peacock cichlids online and the nearest I can come to mine are the Aulonocara Gold. Very cool looking! I love their more passive, easy going nature. They are definitely my new faves in the tank!

 

[Sicklid]

No problem, glad its working out... I have never kept Red Jewels, but I've heard they can be just as aggro as convicts when they are breeding, as for their normal behavior there may not be a problem keeping the 2m-1f ratio. Hopefully someone else can chime in, but a tentative guess is one male is always going to claim dominance in a tank, and someone will get abused/stressed or worse.

 

[FishNewbee]

Yeah, I've heard that having only one female puts way too much stress on her. I just don't want 6 jewels in my tank!! Truthfully, I'd prefer to just give the two males away and go for more peacocks or some kribs. Not sure how to get rid of these guys now. I really think they're beautiful, just a little more aggressive than I'd like. Still, I feel responsible to them and would need to make sure they got placed into a good home. What to do, what to do . . . !

 

[Sicklid]

I posted 6 convicts free to a good home on Craigslist and got three calls within a couple of hours... The first guy to call took them all. You would be surprised. Also, maybe a school science class might be interested in them.

 

[FishNewbee]

Yeah, I didn't even think about craigslist, although I use it all the time for buying and selling everything else! Just woke up this morning and one of my peacock's has a huge bite mark taken out of his ventral fin!! Definitely time to do something! Thanks for all your help!

 

[piratealx]

they dont color up till about 6-8 months. females never color up. you cant tell males and females apart by the upper fin. if its curved its female, pointy is male, but if they are juvi you wont be able to tell

 

[FishNewbee]

That's what I'm noticing. One is coloring up nicely, the other not at all. Pretty sure I have a male and a female.

 

[piratealx]

well that works out well but if your planning on having more males, the females make them more aggressive