My Strange Convict?

[randymyr]

I just bought a new black convict cichlid, now at first i didn't think much of him besides the fact convicts are like, the coolest fish ever, lol, but i noticed that she was coloured differently than all of the other black convicts i've seen, in pet stores, or on the computer, she's a bit more of a sand colour, more like the colour of a spotted climbing perch, so from what i know of, this isn't a regular colour of a convict
and for some reason i can't add any pictures, you guys will have to go by the picture of her in my avatar

 

[jb12288]

it just looks stressed. what size tank is it in, and your water parameters and stocking list? how long have you had it?

 

[randymyr]

it just looks stressed. what size tank is it in, and your water parameters and stocking list? how long have you had it?

She doesn't seem stressed, she hasn't once turned the white/purple that i've seen them before, and i'm not sure about the water, but right now she's with...
2 Blue gouramis (they're going soon), 4 serpae tetras, 2 black flag tetras, 4 cories and 1 otto (i gotta get more)
the tank is 30 gallons, which is more than i need for one, and she loves going around and swimming with the other fish, she'll sometimes school with the tetras or fallow the gouramis, but she usually just keeps to herself, checking things out

 

[shelaghfishface]

hi
just give her a little sttling in time, and make sure she has got planty of hiding spaces ( plant pots etc ) to get away from the gouramis

 

[jb12288]

yea every thing seems ok. the gouramis do need to go, they get big and the tank will be overcrowded since the get to be 4-6" as well as the convict gets to 6". like shelagh said just give it time to settle in.

 

[randymyr]

Like i said she appears to be fine, she doesn't hide, even though there's plenty of places for her to hide, she spends more time looking around for food or swimming around with the other fish, to me it just looks to be a strange colour, instead of the normal white or purple i see them in

 

[randymyr]

Problem solved!
Turns out it was just the fact she was young, i finally found some pictures of some younger convicts which are the same colour, I guess they just grow out of that colour eventually

 

[shelaghfishface]

ha.. you have the answer... when mine were young they were very skittish, i started to resent having them in the tank all to themselves as i never saw them, and too be honest i hadnt really done the reseach needed for them, BUT now they are about 5 inches and still growing and are in with my oscars and very rarley go into hiding,, an i never fior one second thought they would get this big as they were about 5 cm`s when i bought them but they are lovely looking fish

 

[jb12288]

if you get a breeding pair they grow faster. it seemed like overnight my male convict went from 2" to 5". they are amazing fish

 

[randymyr]

She's just over 2" now, and she's slowly starting to turn the normal, convict white (with black stripes) and she rarely hides too, she's very friendly. I have the computer right next to the fish tank, and she comes over to the corner closest to the computer and watches me for a good five minutes, before she swims away and carries on with her usual day of swimming with other fish and foraging for food, lol