Dwarf Cichlids

[wetdog]

afternoon all, i have 2 dwarf cichlids, double reds, thought originaly to be male and female. one is clearly a male with very red fins etc and a good dorasl array. what i thought to be a female, i'm now not to sure. the fish is a little smaller, and the coularation slightly different, a plain body with orange fins. but it is developing a dorasal fin array and is being bullied by the larger male.
can they stay together or should i move one on or swap for a female.

mick.

 

[chrisbassist]

Any pics?

 

[wetdog]

no mate, sorry.
cant do'em.

mick.

 

[chrisbassist]

Do you know what type of dwarf they are?

I'm assuming you mean cockatoo (apisto)

the normal recommendation is 2 females for each male.

They're also very easy to see the difference between male and female. When I get chance I'll post pics of my male and female so you can see the difference.

 

[wetdog]

Do you know what type of dwarf they are?

I'm assuming you mean cockatoo (apisto)

the normal recommendation is 2 females for each male.

They're also very easy to see the difference between male and female. When I get chance I'll post pics of my male and female so you can see the difference.

yes, thems the jockies.
i have looked up and googled the difference betwix m & f, and the smaller fish is looking like a male. is it ok to kepp 2 males or will they just row all the time?

mick.

 

[Fats]

Hi,depends on the size of tank they are in,if its a fairly big tank with enough hiding places they should be fine. I have 2 males and 1 female that live quite happily together(upto now anyway). The trouble with young apisto's you get what they call sleeper males they look female and then all of a sudden they begin to look like males ive had it myself with Apistogramma Cacatioudes.

Ian

 

[wetdog]

morning ian, itas the 2 fish i got off you. the smaller one is definatly a chap. he does swim around with his dorsal down and the larger well coloured male nearly always has his up. but he has changed a little and is definatly a bloke.
can these 2 be left together or am i better off swapping one out?

mick.

 

[Fats]

Hi Mick,what size tank are they in? like i say ive still got 2 males in mine and a female and they get along great. Is there plenty of hiding spaces for them? They are usually only aggressive to each other when breeding.

Ian