keeping a kenyi cichlid

[lynzor]

I'm having a bit of a mystery with my Kenyi cichlids. I've got a female that's holding eggs in her mouth, and then there's this other one that I thought was a female, but everyone else seems to think is a male. Thing is, all the info I've read says males are yellow and females are blue, but I've seen the yellow one lay eggs and hold them in her mouth - they just never seem to hatch. On the other hand, my red zebra cichlids have been breeding like champs. So I was wondering, is it possible for these fish to change sexes or something? Or maybe, just maybe, the male red zebra could fertilize the Kenyi eggs?

[lynzor]

I've also come across info that says female Kenyi cichlids can change color to yellow if they feel the need to be more aggressive to protect themselves or their territory. That makes sense, considering my blue female was the first Kenyi I introduced to the tank, along with a male red zebra, a male bumblebee, and a female red zebra. She was blue at first, but after getting chased around, she turned yellow. So, I guess that rules out the sex change theory. I recently added two yellow labs and another Kenyi cichlid to the tank. I'm still wondering if it's possible for the male red zebra, bumblebee, or even one of the yellow labs to fertilize her eggs.

[darkknight]

I'm pretty sure I've read about red zebras and electrics crossing, so I wouldn't rule out the possibility of your Kenyi cichlid being fertilized by a different male, maybe even one of the other types you have in the tank.