Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm with creekdwlr on this, it does have a female appearance, but I wouldn't say it's 100% certain. What's the age of the fish?

I've had them for a bit over a month now, but I'm not sure how old they were when I got them.

I'm assuming they're from a local fish store, so they'd have been quite young when you got them. If that's the case, then I'd agree with others that they're probably too young to sex them for sure.

Another thing, would the brighter one, you know, chase the paler one, like does that happen with sunnygolds?

@Reelstar I think I can offer some insight, but keep in mind we need more info to give a solid answer. Chasing and bullying is pretty common in African Cichlids - they're naturally aggressive.

Looking at your situation, there are a few possibilities. It's possible you have two males, with the brighter one being the dominant one and the paler one being the subdominant. This would explain the chasing.

Another possibility is that your tank is understocked. These fish thrive in large groups, so having just two might be causing them stress. I've read that a good ratio is at least one male to two females, but even that's not a hard and fast rule. Some people recommend having at least 20 fish in the tank to prevent bullying, or having a mixed Mbuna tank with fewer fish.

It's also possible that they're just being territorial, which is normal for African Cichlids. I'm not convinced they're both female, based on the pictures, but I could be wrong.

To better understand what's going on, can you tell me a bit more about your tank? What are your water parameters like? How big is the tank, and what other fish are in there with your sunnygolds?