Black belt cichlid rescue

[Drgnball]

Mature males can handle weeks of not eating after a tank move. So don’t worry too much about that. When I got one of my males at 9-10 inches he refused to eat anything for almost 3 full weeks. Then one day, in the middle of week three, he started eating everything that entered the water.
Your Melanura, or hybrid Melanura, (which I’m feeling fairly sure it is) looks to be 3+ years old. In almost no way possible is he younger then 3. But could be much older at 5-8+. I have raised Melanura from fry to adults in a large tank so I’m familiar with typical growth rates. Many variables can effect their growth rates like tank size, water parameters, and diet.
My observations with Melanura is that if they aren’t eating a lot of kelp or spurlina in their diets they tend to lose color and turn black. Black just like your male that has more black then color. Stress can also turn them more black.
Hikari isn’t a good food in really anyway for any fish. It has mostly fillers as ingredients. It’s junk that fish do eat.
Try Northfin Veggie pellets instead. You could get some Garlic Guard to add to the Northfin veggie pellets if he isn’t eating the pellets after 2-3 weeks.

Im guessing at least 5 years and probably more. The guy said 5 years but it's been passed around so many different owners who knows. He only started eating a few pellets today kind of like grazing. Definitely will be getting some better pellets soon. I kinda of have suspicions he had something mixed in as going by the google photos he looks different. Any guess as to what???

 

[Man-made Monsters]

Im guessing at least 5 years and probably more. The guy said 5 years but it's been passed around so many different owners who knows. He only started eating a few pellets today kind of like grazing. Definitely will be getting some better pellets soon. I kinda of have suspicions he had something mixed in as going by the google photos he looks different. Any guess as to what???

Your male might be a pure Vieja Melanura. In fact he looks very much like many large older males I have seen in the last several years. If he is a mixed breed my first guess would be a mix with Bifasciatus. Don’t always go by what you see or read on Google. Trust the members here. There are so many people here, just like me, who take this hobby very seriously.
I hatched about 500 Vieja Melanura babies back on November 9, 2021. I still have a few of them. Each one has differences in color. A few have less color then others. Some glow with color all over. Some don’t. Some Melanura are bright orange,yellow, and red. While others have less orange and have a lot more blue or green as a main color. The males are now 7 inches and the females are 4.5 inches. Get him on a veggie diet and see what colors pop. It will be interesting to see if most of that big black patch on his sides disappears after a few weeks on veggies. If it does disappear then I believe he is 100% Melanura and less likely of a mix breed. He is a beautiful beast. Mature males like him are always a joy to see. Awesome job rescuing him!!! Keep the updates coming.

 

[newworld]

I’m confused why is everyone throwing around this fish is mixed?

 

[Drgnball]

8th day update guys. Just did weekly 60% wc and with my current tank setup nitrates were sitting in between 5-10ppm. His still not eating but overall condition and colours have improved immensely in a short period. I'm confident once he gets his appetite back and eats the recommended diet then further improvements can be achieved. Happy new year from Australia

 

[Hybridfish7]

Some people think because Vieja are cichlids, they need a high protein (fish meal) type diet.
Actually in nature Vieja tend toward being on the vegetarian side, eating algae, and fallen fruit and seeds.
And in eating these type foods get the kind of vitamins that influence bright colors.
Here in Panama black belts are often found in brackish, even even straight sea water grazing of marine algae, which may influence the bright colors often found in wild fish, but not aquarium specimens.
For my cichlids I choose a pellet high in Spirulina algae, and also add or mix in pellets for vegetarian salt water species high in algae like kelp which is high in iodine, and other vitamins, known to enhance color.

sorry to hijack, but do all vieja move out to sw to graze? I've heard about this behavior, but wasn't sure if it was just maculicauda. It is interesting to me that maculicauda in particular has such a wide range when compared to the rest of vieja. The ability to graze in and adapt to a wide array of environments would explain this, I would assume. I believe it was found to be a true vieja as well, going off of genetics.

 

[duanes]

sorry to hijack, but do all vieja move out to sw to graze? I've heard about this behavior, but wasn't sure if it was just maculicauda. It is interesting to me that maculicauda in particular has such a wide range when compared to the rest of vieja. The ability to graze in and adapt to a wide array of environments would explain this, I would assume. I believe it was found to be a true vieja as well, going off of genetics.

Mostly just Vieja maculacauda.
And I believe the wide range, is due to its ability to move in the ocean, to different rivers.
Most other Vieja are restricted to certain geographic areas, and river systems.

Its the same for Mayaheros uropthalmus, its sea water tolerance allows for wide range.
There is even a population in Isla Mujeras that lives in the mangrove area in pure sea water, almost 10 miles off the coast of the Yucatan.
One caveat......, I haven't been to Isla Mujares to see them since the late 80s, so its only my assumption there is still a surviving population there

 

[Man-made Monsters]

Happy New Year D Drgnball and all MFKers out there!!!
Your fish is looking 100% Vieja Melanura. He should start eating in the upcoming week or two. He’s a full grown male who can go a while without eating. If another two weeks goes by and he still isn’t accepting food then there could be cause for concern. He looks awesome. Great job saving him and giving him a better life.