Cynotilapia Afra Jalo Reef -

[fluvial]

I have 5 juveniles in my Mbuna tank - not sure of age but almost certainly born this year.
I bought them as mixed Male / Female but they were very small when I first got them.

The biggest one, about 2 to 2 1/2 " long, remains a very dark colour with even the dorsal fin
remaining dark, no hint of yellow or barred stripes at present.

The others are smaller, but frequently show a strong striped patterning along the body, sometimes on the face as well.
But the stripes tend to be dark brown against a lighter body colour. The dorsal fins are yellow, but no hint of any
blue colouration along the body at all.

Is it possible to see a difference in male / female colouration whilst juveniles ...
and at what age can I expect to see the strong blue colour emerge ?

Also - will all the males colour up, or only the alpha male ?
Many thanx for replies.

 

[Malawi MaD]

Did you buy the fish out of a mixed malawi tank? If so are you sure they are 100% jalo's?
Yes it is possible for young juvis to show different colouration (between males and females) as even at a very young age mbuna show aggression between one another and the females will still be dominant as there is no dominant male present at the moment. Depends on how many males you have, if you have 2, 1 will become the dominant alpha male and the other will be a sub dom male. Its best to keep 1 or 3 plus males as 2 is likely to lead to the sub dom been killed or just not showing his full potential.

 

[fluvial]

Thanks for the reply -
I bought them from a reputable dealer, so am sure they are all
as should be.
I'll bear in mind what you say regarding how many males I may have -
at this point I'm not sure but it could well be just 2 !

At what age will they start to colour up with the blue colouration ??