Originally posted by DarthV
Cross breeding is to get 2 seperate species to produce offspring. Regular JDs and blue ones are of the same species...so if you breed the 2 together, it is not crossbreeding. Same with pink and black convicts...same species, different color morph.
You can get pretty muc any new world cichlid to cross with another new world. It just would be a matter of patience and luck...not sure if you could get a labiatus to cross with an acara naturally (have to be one mean acara!), but it can be done with human interference.
OK...wrong choice of words, "cross breed". My point is that they can breed, but better not to.
Like you said, unless it is done with human interference. Even SA/CA cichlids don't necessary will breed together being in the same tank. After reading a few articles by Paul Loiselle, I found out that Texas Cichlid and Carpinte are the same group, yet they don't breed together. Both of these fishes were in the same tank, but the ripe female Carpinte rather court a male Salvini than the male Texas Cichlid. Salvini either was ignoring the Carpinte or didn't catch the intention.
Also, another reason not all CA/SA cichlids will breed naturally because they all have different courting behavior. Even if Dave's female Con was signaling the Male GT, doesn't mean the GT catch the hint.