Sad ending sometimes have happy beginnings.

[Niki_up]

Still not very good pictures

 

[Niki_up]

Updated picture

this is a fast growing fish for sure. Also, probably one of the most difficult to photograph. He’s not brightly coloured like I see on all the pictures I’ve googled. I believe the dark colours might be bc of the dark background, sand, and wood in the tank.

looks to also be getting the humped head of a male..though still up for debate. This fish is so dark I cannot even make out eye colour of gold or blue...

 

[YankeeJack]

Nice job getting the side profile shot! Looks healthy and well fed! I'm sure that it will be a stunner when the colors start to come in.

 

[Ozzie73]

Does he spin? We had a speaker at a local club meet and he had a video of his doing a complete upside down loop around the same area of his tank, he called it his Syn spin. Not even a week later I seen mine doing it...lol

 

[Niki_up]

Does he spin? We had a speaker at a local club meet and he had a video of his doing a complete upside down loop around the same area of his tank, he called it his Syn spin. Not even a week later I seen mine doing it...lol

Def does not do the syn soon

though I’d like to see the video

 

[tiger15]

It’s hard to tell if it is melanura or synspillum. The tall body suggests synnspillum, but the dark color suggests melanura. I have kept both and agree with Jeff Rapps and others that melanura and synspillum are different species. DNA is Not a definitive proof of speciation as many Victorian cichlid species share identical DNA.

You have a good size swordtail, fat SAE and a relicular flying fox. They are good algae eaters and hopefully your plants can survive your growing synspillum which can eventually reach 14” .

 

[Niki_up]

It’s hard to tell if it is melanura or synspillum. The tall body suggests synnspillum, but the dark color suggests melanura. I have kept both and agree with Jeff Rapps and others that melanura and synspillum are different species. DNA is Not a definitive proof of speciation as many Victorian cichlid species share identical DNA.

You have a good size swordtail, fat SAE and a relicular flying fox. They are good algae eaters and hopefully your plants can survive your growing synspillum which can eventually reach 14” .

I’m one of the people who also agree they are different. I’m hoping it is a syn as I like the less “pixilated” look and the cleaner color transitions.

I’m not really too concerned about the plants, so far none of the plants have been eaten or even tested as food.

everyday feedings consist of an algae wafer and a cichlids pellet, so he gets plant and protein daily.

I am hoping for a larger syn 12 inches or bigger. And if I need to rehome the jack im
Ok with that, I also have other tanks if I need to move the smaller fish like the sword/sae’s

 

[Ozzie73]

I don't have access to his video of it, but I have one in a file somewhere I'll dig out and upload. I scrambled to get cam going to catch it so it's just a few seconds.

 

[Ozzie73]

Def does not do the syn soon

though I’d like to see the video

I had just moved stuff around in the tank so his space was limited...here in vid he is figuring it out his spot again...lol

 

[Niki_up]

I had just moved stuff around in the tank so his space was limited...here in vid he is figuring it out his spot again...lol

I have never even seen a fish do this let alone knew it had the name syn soon haha