Fade is what happens when a fish like a Midas changes from it's juvie cammo coloration (that dark brown/grey that they first have) to its adult colors. I believe it signals sexual maturity (or is the start of it, they become mature soon after) and is also the point at which a fading cichlid becomes agressive. I have heard that the percentage of gold or red (whichever the base color is, ergo the % of pure base color on the fish, if it is a bright color) in a midas or red devil is a sign of the cichlids' domination over its surroundings. Big gold kokster midas are always the king, and this is reflected in the natural world, as if you're a big gold or red fish you're very obvious to predators. It goes that the most agressive dominating fish would be the brightest colour because it simply dosen't care that its obvious, because that fish is King. The calico blotches that appear after a fade are voluntary in the fish and are present to show submissive social rank. So if you have a blotchy RD or SRT and move him to a tank where he dominates, the blotches will most likely go away.
I'm not sure what SA cichlids fade besides citrinellum and labiatum Red Devil (and even then, there is a natural coloration of A. Citrinellum that is just an extension of the Juvie colors, so it could be said that some midas never fade [I would assume also that these fish aren't as dominating]), but a lot can be gleaned from that fact
since both RD's fade, then faders are
Parrots (all kinds, though some parrots also never fade since they have midas blood)
Red Texas
SRT
Mammon, Ingot, everything else thats pretty much a parrot
Your Fry (but 50% of their genes have this, because I do not believe that texas fade)
and Red devils of all kinds
A Fader Flowerhorn is FH that has a large amount of fading fish blood in it and thus all or part of a fader will fade to yellow/red/orange/gold over time, depending on parentage.
Most RD derivatives fade at about 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches, depending on the personality of the fish and its surroundings. In good water, most of the midas I've raised faded at about 1.75-2 inches, (though I wasn't measuring them). But it all depends. In dirty water in the store I used to work at, the siblings of my midas took several more months to fade completely, and the process overall took longer. I'm sure temp. also has something to do with it.
So the bottom line, around 2 inches hopefully. If you want them to fade faster do lots of water changes and turn the heat up some. Or give them some baby convicts or something to push around. But you can never tell, I have a fader parrot now thats 3 in long and still in his juvie colors. He's a wimp though.
Rambling off.
