Cryptoheros chetumalensis

[JimboK]

I recently purchased a pair of Chets and they are quickly becoming one of my favorites. Full of personality and color. Pic of the male below. The female got beat up a little during shipping so I'll post a pic once she's healed.
Please share your pics or experiences with Chets, thanks!

 

[jonclark96]

I kept a group for a while. I found them to be nice, peaceful fish, but pretty slow growers. I had mine for over a year before passing them to a friend without any breeding. Hopefully you'll have better luck than I did.

 

[JimboK]

Thanks for the info!

 

[doomiedee]

I might be wrong but that looks like a female cutteri.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[fug202]

I bought some Cryptoheros chetumalensis from a store in the pacific Northwest but was later told that they were more likely cutteri. Nice fish in any case. Mine started breeding within days of arrival - they were very prolific. Their peaceful demeanor was completely lost once fry appeared - the parents were ferocious in defending their spawn. They also underwent a striking change in color, as the photos below show.

1) Normal colors at 2"


2) Male at 5"


3) Parents in breeding colors with fry


[h=2][/h]

 

[JimboK]

Fug202, that is a good looking pair! We're you able to grow out any of the fries?

Doomiedee, that was my initial thought too but the female I have in the tank is much more colorful, with strong orange and brown coloration

 

[doomiedee]

Fug202, that is a good looking pair! We're you able to grow out any of the fries?

Doomiedee, that was my initial thought too but the female I have in the tank is much more colorful, with strong orange and brown coloration

That's exactly how cutteri look. Chet's are more red in color.they should be more red instead of brownish yellow. View attachment 946009View attachment 946011


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[fug202]

Fug202, that is a good looking pair! We're you able to grow out any of the fries?

It would have been easy to grow out the fry (they grow fast and are undemanding), but ultimately I broke up the pair and used the fry as feeders because local fish stores had no interest in them. Too close in appearance to convicts as far as they were concerned.

 

[cjdesmit]

I'm currently growing out a group of 7x young C. chetumalensis "Rio Chahal" (or at least that's what they were listed as) in my 135gal community. They are just now starting to color up and I'm beginning to be able to differentiate between males and females. They've been a great fish to keep so far and are much more docile than my 2x C. sajica I have in the community.

Also, I believe there are different localities as with many other cichlids so coloration can vary although C. chetumalensis do look very similar to C. spilurus and can easily be confused. I've found that chets and spilurus also have somewhat of a different body shape than cutteri.

 

[JimboK]

Really good info guys, looking forward to growing mine out.