odd thing

Question
Hi dave, I am a long experienced aquarist, 30 years. Want your opinion an an oddity. I have a 55 which had a Male and female Pink Tilipia plus a pair of Red Peacock Cichlids. The 4 got along fine with a few arguements over 7 months but otherwise found opposite ends. Boths pairs have bred in this tank. The fry were moved out. A while ago the male Tilipia died. AWWWWW!!! Soon after the female Peacock died. Since december 20 there has been only the F tilipia and the M Peacock. Yesterday I noticed new fry in the tank. Apparantly 1 or 2 days old. Being gauarded by the Peacock. This "apparent" cross breed CAN NOT BE possible? Or can it? Is it possible for previously laid eggs from a pair to stay dormant since dec.? What would the fry look like? Seems to me this surely can't be. But  it is I guess. Comment?
  Also in same tank. Have many many Java Ferns attached to wood. Have been growing fine for a long time. Recently ALL...100% of the Java have gotten black spots. WHY??

Answer
hi Wayne:  It can be possible... they are both cichlidae's ... odd but possible.  I was leaning a bit towards something called sperm morphing where the female actually stores sperm during the spawning cycle... the occurs on occasion in marine fish... so it is possible with cichlidae since they have cousins that are saltwater... such as the shore perch... I would suspect that the two have actually cross bred since the peacock is helping out.  I doubt that the eggs would lay dormant for long before a bacterial or parasitical infection destroyed them. As for what the fry would look like... I have not clue... cichlids hybridize a lot... onto the Java... do you have loach? or snails? or something that would eat algae?  you may also just have a change in lighting or temperature/chemical going on in your tank... It is hard to say ... especially with the loss of two larger fish. Let me know how this helps... Dave...