A. Cacatoides female coloring question

[IndianaSam]

Hi, I recently aquired a pair of "Double Red" Cacatoides. They're currently taking up residence in a 29g heavily planted aquarium with about 12 caves made of coconut shells and small flower pots. The only other inhabitants are 6 white clouds (as dithers) and 2 otocinclus.

I was reading about Cacatoides on www.thekrib.com and I came across this picture of a female.

My female has a lot more black on her body. What could that mean? Does that mean that she might be ready to spawn? I'll try to take a picture later and post it, but my female certainly looks much different from the picture above.

Thanks for any help,
Sam

 

[Griz]

I have two female cacatuoides and the variation in their colour is quite amazing. At times they look rather drab having very little yellow on them at all. Other times they are bright lemon yellow. The black markings change too, sometimes jet black and other times almost non-existant. These colour changes can take place very quickly, sometimes right before your eyes. I was looking at my dominant female this morning and she was very yellow but the black markings were barely visible. Right now the black markings are very dark and pronounced and the yellow seems a bit more intense. She looks like a different fish! I believe that this fish has laid eggs recently and may have wigglers by now.

I believe that the intensity of yellow changes depending on the breeding cycle of the female and happen more slowly of over the course of hours/days. I think that the change in the black markings is more related to mood and can change very quickly. Hopefully the experts can give us a bit more information on this, I find it quite interesting.