Jbehan20 said:
1) does it sound like I have two males?
I suppose it sounds more likely, though there is no assurance male and female will get along to begin with. Generally, only 2 cichlids is an unworkable number. I've had male and female that took many weeks before they paired up, with the male chasing the female fairly excessively before they finally paired up. And pairs that get along fine in the community tank have always had to be separated with a divider after a few months when kept by their lonesome.
Anyways, at the stage that convicts are sold, the're usually easily distinguishable by the females having yellow dots on their belly and the males lacking this coloration.
Jbehan20 said:
2) when I start adding more fish (GT, JD, Acaras, still deciding) and I rearrange the tank will the issues get better or worse. I get the feeling that with more fish they won't be focused solely on each other.
I think that is a start. More fish would at least give you a chance for a functioning cichlid community. But if both your convicts are males, it's usually a matter of time before they stop getting along. Initially, more fish should help significantly but over the long term, usually 2 males will grow more and more intolerant of each other. Looking 2,3, 4 years down the road, seldom do 2 males of the same aggressive cichlid species co-exist very well. If one doesn't out right get killed, it can end up living a terrible, stressful existence. IME, having females in the tank sort of puts the males on more even terms (by being paired up with a female(s)), but even then in 3-5 years, some males eventually have to be removed and down to a single dominant male. And that's in larger 6 ft. tanks. I've also attempted to keep groups of male convicts (like 4 or more) with no females. All I can say is that it works better then just 2, though IME and IMO it's really not a good way to keep them as it is a **** existence for the more subordinate males.
Majestic said:
oh and my two little ones are both male and don't fight with eachother so it may not be a gender thing either
I'd keep them a little longer then a day to draw any conclusions. Fish can take weeks or months to even get used to a new tank. Think more like 2-5 years, as things can change all the time in the life of a cichlid. Young and small, they are more likely to get along then larger and older. True, there are always exceptions, and no way of predicting the future with certainty, but 2 male convicts, especially in a tank with out other cichlids, is generally not a good bet to work out for very long. Also the smaller the tank, the less likely to work out but IME, even in a 6ft. 180 gal. it's just a matter of time before male convicts eventually become completely intolerant of each other. I base my opinion on having had convicts for close to 45 years. Every fish is a particular individual and maybe even more significant, every situation a fish is in is usually quite different (pecking order, tank mates, size of tank, age, size ect.) but I think one could generalize that male convicts generally won't get along well, over the longer term.