Jaguars Acting Weird?

[rmtaylor10]

So I have two juvenile jaguar cichlids in my 55 gallon (200 l) tank, while the 125 cycles. I got them about 5 months ago, when they were less than an inch long. There were originally three, but I had to sell one cause he didn't grow, and was getting beat up. Now a similar thing is happening: one of them appears to have just stopped growing. It's around 3 in (7 cm) long. The big one is 4 in (9.5 cm), and still growing.
They get along ok, the big one bullies the little one sometimes but mostly they coexist. They only tankmate is a bn pleco, who they both ignore.
Initially I had a couple corys in there, but I moved them about two weeks ago cause I was worried that they were going to get eaten. Since I took the corys out, both the jags have been acting much more skittish and timid. They barely come out anymore, and they've almost stopped eating...
so two things I'm wondering about:
the growing thing- could it be a sex differential? I haven't sexed them yet
the hiding/not eating thing- should i add dithers?

Here's a pic of the big one, nicknamed Sting

 

[glolite]

Are your water stats ok? Could be you have 2 males.

 

[River Dog]

I think that it would be better to have some dither fish in with them. But obviously make sure they are fast and not too small. For example Silver dollars. Your Jags are too young to sex to be 100% sure. Do you watch them eat ? Managuense are greedy and it could be that the smaller one isn't getting his/her fair share.

 

[rmtaylor10]

Water stats are 0,0,5.
I do watch them eat and it seems to me that the little one still gets a decent share of food. But the big one sure is greedy... he even eats the algae wafers I put in for the pleco.
Can't wait until they get big enough to sex, I feel like that might clear things up somewhat

 

[england]

Hello, jaguar cichlid's are aggressive cichlid's to say the least, as riverdog say's..they are far too young to establish which sex they are,there will be lot's of changes in colour and patterning to come, You could be lucky and form a pair but chance's a slim only having two...Your tank is abit small but you may be lucky with a pair in a 125g but they are aggressive with each other,usually fighting and sometimes killing each other as happens alot, check this link...poor bolty has bred jags on numourous occations and had them kill each other also...

sexy fish all the same

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=212788

 

[rmtaylor10]

yeah my plan all along was to just keep one of them. So another option I guess would be to get rid of the little one right now... but I don't really want to, he's cute probably I'll keep both of them until they outgrow the 55 gal.
I'll get a couple of silver dollars or giant danios tomorrow, depending on what i can find.