Ciclid Head Growth???

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Rusty Gilbert

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 23, 2009
337
1
0
Staten Island, New York
Im just curious here so i figured i would ask.

Ive seen mst cichlids when they mature they get the large head growth and I am just curious on why this happens?

I have never had a cichlid that really obtains such a feature i have Oscars and a newly aquired peacock bass. I never seen an oscar with the head like that but I love gts buttis jds and they acquire it.

To be honest i am not a big fan of it either most of you seem to be and feed them food to increase it.

Just wanted some info to improve my knowledge. Thanks.
 
u mean like that big hump on gt's and flowerhorns and such? its called a kok and its genetic. people seem to like it though. ive heard that some time ago, it was considered good luck or something among flowerhorn breeders and so it was more breed into them. i could be wrong though so u gotta do the research
 
marauders30;3423585; said:
its called a kok and its genetic.


lol i always have read/ heard it called nuchal hump. but not to sure what its really called.
 
k0y0te;3423600; said:
lol i always have read/ heard it called nuchal hump. but not to sure what its really called.
THAT IS WHAT ITS CALLED,ALTHOUGH IM NOT SURE ON THE SPELLING, AS FAR AS CICHLA GO ITS A BREEDING THING. MY MALE OCELL. GETS IT WHE ITS TIME TO SWOON THE FEMALE THEN WHEN THERE DONE IT GOES AWAY
 
All i know/ can remeber is that there are 2 diffrent type , a Kok and Nuchal Hump and that they get them when fish mature aswel as when they breed . Some fish get a Kok's and others get the Nuchal Humps .

Sorry if that dont really help but thats all i can remeber ff the top my head ATM .
 
I think kok is for the flowerhorns, nuchal hump for the others.

I've seen them grow when adding another male in a tank, feeding different foods, genes, males, whatever. Kind of hit or miss.
 
I think is a form of sexual dimorphism that is akin to big antlers on a deer or colorful tail on a peacock. In some species the males who are able to support some superfluous growth are seen as more fit to the females. This drives the evolution as only the males possessing it breed. It makes all the ladies pay more attention to him and thus out compete males with smaller, less sexy foreheads.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com