Confused..male or female holding eggs?

[Drbales]

I have several male and female Victorian cichlids in a 75 gallon tank. Earlier today I noticed one of them--what I believe to be is a tomato or a flameback cichlid--appeared to be holding fry. However, as far as I'm aware, the females of the aforementioned breeds are typically bland in color and do not exhibit the bold coloration seen in the picture below. This particular cichlid has some red on his head and I noticed some white/light blue on his top fin. Please clarify this for me: is it a holding female or a male with some kind of issue? Thank you!

 

[Tifftastic]

I wouldn't call that colouration bold, I would call it a female colour variant of the species strain you mentioned. The females of both the colour strains you mentioned have slight red on the top of their head and dorsal fins, while the males have a lot more blue than that. I am 100% sure that what you have is a holding female, but you could find out for yourself if you catch her and use your thumbnail or a pair of blunt tweezers to gently open her lower jaw and take a peak.

 

[tanker]

Looks like a female holding fry or eggs to me. Males cannot hold the eggs or fry.