They are neither, they are Geophagus brasiliensis, the Pearl Cichlid. As adults the females will retain the look they have now, but the male will end up looking like this:
Hi, thank you for reply. So many different types and look so similar to me. The tank i bought which the fish came with is 75litres. It has overhead filtration with two foam blocks and a basket with stones in. Like I've said I'm new to keeping tropical. I presume they will out grow the tank if they get that large. One is smaller so if the previous owner bought them at the same time i guess one could be female. The larger does chase the other sometimes. Thanks for your input that's great to finally know the breed.
IF they spawn, buy a pre-filter sponge to cover the intake, that way the fry won't get sucked into the filter ad be killed. It will still filter the tank but the power will be reduced and sponges will need to be rinsed every week or 2. UNPLUG the filter before removing the intake and sponges to rinse.
no water changes until a week or 2 after they hatch.....eggs and fry are highly sensitive to water parameters. They look fertilized so should only be 48-72 hours depending on temperature. I would wait until they are free-swimmers to do any water changes and when you do it, use a milk jug or water jug with the top cut off and leave the handle on it so you can just scoop water off the top. You don't want to use a siphon hose in a tank full of fry that will get sucked into it and aren't smart enough to stay away from the intake.
