Convict Fish has lost his stripes!!

Question
Hello!

I have a convict fish and he is over a year old.  He is in a  5 gallon size tank.

Recently, i noticed he has lost his stripes!! I know strange eh? But now he is just white an dhas no stripes.  They are hardly there at all -- they used to be black and very visible and now are gone!. I went away over xmas for 2 weeks and had a friend feed him while i was gone -- and when i came back he had lost his stripes!! I also switched to sand instead of rocks in the tank. Would that have anthing to do with it? He is still aggressive with food and everything -- but i don't know why his stripes have gone.  And ... yes it is the Same fish! Also he is the only fish in the tank as he already ate all his friends.  

Another question is if i can get any other kind of fish that would survive with him. He has already eaten and killed many others.  Is he doomed to be a loner forever?

anyways, any help would be great thanks!
steph.

Answer
Hi Steph;

If the sand is light colored he is simply trying to blend in with his surroundings. If you want him to be dark again, you'll have to get dark rocks. They like hiding places too. Rock caves are the best.

He could also be pale from being in too small a tank. A 5 gallon is just not adequate for a convict cichlid, as they get 5 to 6 inches long and need room to swim and get exercise. He needs at least a 10 gallon tank in order to be in his best health.

Convicts are very aggressive and natural born killers. Unless you want another one of the opposite sex and have them in a 20 gallon or larger, yours will have to be alone. They will even try to kill fish several times their size when protecting their young. Nasty, but lots of personality!

Here are some sites to help you know more about them;

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_convict.php
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=896
http://www.fishprofiles.com/articles/freshwater/convict.asp
http://www.petfish.net/convict_breeding.htm

Followups Welcome

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Chris Robbins

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