Red zebra cichlid male and female4/30/2023 ![]() ![]() How Long Does An Oscar Fish Live? 21 Years? How Long Do African Cichlids Live? Don’t Be Surprised! However, a male’s vent is almost the same size as his anus. But a female’s egg tube faces backward.Ī female convict’s vent is slightly larger than the anus to facilitate egg-laying. On the flip side, a male’s gender papillae slightly stick out – helping him release and deposit sperm onto the eggs.Ī male convict cichlid’s egg tube points straight and downward. The female’s papillae, also known as an ovipositor, is broad and flattened, which helps with laying eggs. Males and females have different gender papillae in convicts, as it is with most fish. It’s in no way as prominent as a flowerhorn’s bump, but it’s still there.įemales, on the other hand, have smooth and inclined foreheads. Male convict cichlids have a steeper forehead and a slight bump made of vestigial fatty lump. However, males reportedly have more vertical stripes than females. The black stripes are comparatively more pigmented. ![]() Females often sport more vibrant colors than males. In most fish, males are more intensely colored than females. I have seen female convicts with fins that extend past their tail fin.Īlso, several hobbyists on fish forums have reported that they have males with short and round fins and vice versa. On the other hand, females have shorter, rounder fins.īut this parameter may not hold true for all fish. In convict cichlids, males usually have longer and pointier dorsal and anal fins. So, telling the difference with the help of size can only be helpful if your cichlids have fully matured. You can have a prodigy female that achieves its maximum size by 6 months or a late bloomer male. A male’s average length is 6 inches in the aquarium, whereas a female clocks in at around 4.5 inches.Īs juveniles, fish grow at different rates. Male cichlids are comparatively larger than females. However, the biggest giveaway is the orange tint in the female’s abdominal region. For example, males are normally a bit bigger than their female counterparts. In today’s piece, we will discuss how to differentiate male and female convict cichlids.Īt first sight, male and female convicts look pretty identical. But sexual dimorphism is pretty subtle with convicts. In some species, males and females can be separated at one glance. But telling apart a male from a female convict cichlid can be difficult. If the surrounding is conducive, you can end up with thousands of fry in a few months. There is also a third variant known as "Orange Blotched", these are rare in the wild but popular in the pet trade, they are mottled in colour and both male and females are found with this colour pattern.Image Credits: ictheostega and David Ellis (Creative Commons license)īreeding convict cichlids is easy. They are are a bright blue colour, with a hint of barring. While typically both males and females are orange-yellow in colour, a blue morph of the male is also found (typically those collected from the Minos Reef area of Lake Malawi). Identification A relatively short bodied Mbuna Cichlid which can vary in colour morphs depending on their origin in Lake Malawi. Sand substrate is also preferred as they like to dig their homes out.īehaviour A mid-tempered territorial Mbuna Cichlid. The more caves or hiding places the better. Most people find success in twice a day but only as much as they can eat in two minutes.Įnvironment specifics These are rock dwelling fish and do best in any rocky habitat. Do not give too much protein as the Mbuna are mostly vegetarians and too much protein can cause Malawi Bloat or other problems.įeeding regime Feed like any other Mbuna. Can be kept with other similar-tempered Mbuna, but avoid other similar-shaped "Zebra" species, such as Maylandia callainos or Labidochromis caeruleus, as they can hybridise which is undesirable.ĭiet Will graze on algae. They should be considered mid-tempered compared to other Mbuna. Males will be territorial to one another, but arguments rarely involve any serious injuries. Tank compatibility These should be kept in a harem of 1 male to 3-4 females. Female holds for 21-28 days after which the fry are released. Eggs hatch and the fry are reared in the mother's mouth. The female releases the eggs and also hurries to collect the eggs in her mouth, the male has eggs spots in its anal fin to confuse the female to thinking that they are also eggs and hoodwinks the female to collect the sperm in its mouth and fertilization happens in the mouth. Blue variants of the males are also present. Sexing Dimorphic, Females are lighter colour of orange than males. Additional names Red Zebra Mbuna, Ice Blue Zebra, Cherry Red Cichlid, Orange Blotch Cichlid Additional scientific names Metriaclima estherae, Pseudotropheus estherae ![]()
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