Another ID question for a freeby

Hi folks!
I suppose I have become the Fish Rescue for my area. lol I got a call from the LFS today and she had a fish that had finished quarantine and wanted to know if I had a clue what she was. So I went down and took a look. The moment I got there, I immediately thought of Cryptoheros ? something. She was very docile, and just cruzin' around the tank alone.

The owner wanted to use the tank and she had to move her. They had her in there for over a month and no one seemed to be able to ID her. So I asked if I could have her for a descent price since they were clueless. The owner popped out of his office and said...."how is FREE? I need that tank." Well, I watched her for at least 30 mins and decided to bring her home. She ate for me at the shop and followed my hand around the glass.

First shot is just after I released her. I wanted to see what Dandy would do a bigger fish in the tank and he went wild. HE showed off like I have never seen and then he....well, he showed off his manhood, shall we say. LOL She and he were all over each other doing that S-swim and then they politely went into a pot. He stirred up all the sand, but I wanted to see if you folks had ever seen this. Pix don't do here justice. She was very dark at first....




Then after only 20 mins she started to really look like she did at the store. Nice golden-yellow with that pretty pink forehead and a very light greenish wash over her upper body near the dorsal. Her 3 spots are very black and there is a metallic shine to her unlike most yellow fish. My first thought was crypto, but I can't seem to find anything like her at all. I have been searching all day after we got home. One guy at the store swore she was a FH, but I don't know. Maybe another hybrid? You tell me....



And no matter what she is....Dandy is in LUV! He tore up the sand, the plants, and knocked the filter cage off while showing off. That is why there is stuff all over the bottom. Now I get to clean up after him. lol

There ya go, for some reason they didn't load the first time. She is about 5"+ tip to tip. When she does that S-swim with Dandy, she flexes all her fins and she is really a pretty fish. He is now power cleaning his plates. He is in a hurry. lol

yeah? How would that look with my Tx/FH Shortbody boy? Thank you


Edit: And do you agree that is female?? The rounded fins and smooth head is why I say female. Or is this too young to tell?

This one definately has yellow eyes, but just a hint of blue on the top rim. I just figured the rounded fins, with hints of blackish grey on the dorsal, made it female. Either way, the longer I have it, the prettier it gets. And FREE makes it that much better. The store breeds a lot of their own stuff and the manager is a trustworthy person. She has been there for about 20 yrs. She knew I was looking for a female to try out on my little SB Flowerhorn. And like I said before, you can't beat FREE. So far, they seem to really like each other. I have been watching them for most of the day and the tank is near the middle of the house, so even while watching TV, I can see them. So far, so good.

There isn't much out there as far as solid info. Is that 75 big enough for them? I read a female can get as big as 9in+. And she is right at 5 now. And if anyone has links or just hands on breeding info they wish to share, it would be much appreciated. I know they are diggers and floor spawners. Is she big enough to even consider breeding, or is he just hoping for too much right now? lol She has actually helped a bit with the cleaning of the plate in there. And when they rest, they go in the biggest pot together. But she hasn't shown me any tubes and I don't want to stress her again trying for a vent peek. Maybe after a few days, I will try.

Thank you guys for any/all info.

OK< I was pretty sure we had a female synspilum......but

I hadn't seen anything to do with pairing up other than they seem to like each other's company. So, I decided to spice it up a bit. I added a female Convict I kept out of my last breeding. They have some HRP genes in there somewhere. Anyway, I put this 2 1/2in female in the tank with Dandy (SB FH Male) and this Syn to see what happened.

Dandy chases, but has never landed a blow. She hovers along the wall away from his favorite pot. The syn, drifts aimlessly along along the back of the tank mostly. HOWEVER>.... today every time I look at that tank, the Syn is all pretty and yellow and hovering beside the Convict newcomer. They share food, they float right there all the time. My timid "female" Syn, is now a front row fish.

I am trying to add a vid to youtube that I took with my phone. I got some nice belly shots and wondered if you guys might see something that might tell you exactly what I have. Otherwise, I will have to grab her/him out of the tank again. And I hate to upset this show of bravery.

Around the 17sec mark you get some nice views. It goes blurry, but if you hold on, it clears back up (around 49 secs) and you can see again just before it ends. (that is if I can get it to load) Please bear in mind, that this was turned in to LFS because it was getting beat all to pieces by a tank full of male Jack Dempsey's. So the fins and the belly and tail need some healing, but I was trying to feed so I could see that vent. So you guys tell me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy8dfzA87B0