Help sexing Texas cichlid
- Thread starter anzo1993
- Start date
This probably is not a true Texas cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatus), it looks more like one of the others of the genus, such as H carpintus, or even H tamasopoensus to me.
But carpintus is more likely.
Here is a male carpintus
and a female
Below H tamasopoensus
But carpintus is more likely.
Here is a male carpintus
and a female
Below H tamasopoensus
It’s a more blue than most other texas cichlids or Texas mixes I’ve seen, the stores in my area are selling as “ Escondido Texas” or “ electric blue Texas”
Escondido is a location variant in Mexico,(not in Texas), and Electric Blue is simply a "selling point Trade name" for carpintus, neither are endemic to Texas, so the Texas moniker is an oxymoron.
Not realizing carpintus and cyanoguttatus are separate species, unwittingly perpetuates hybridizing, producing indiscernible mutts, that for serious cichlids breeders may be problematic.
I have seen many of those confusing unidentifiable mutt ID threads appear here on MFK
Some aquarists are serious enough to keep location variants like Escondido, or Chairel, in separate tanks, to not contaminate the variants.
The carpintus in my photos are location variant "Lago Chairel", near Tampico Mexico, it is quite near the sea, and so close, that the lake is often inundated with significant amounts of sea water, so much so, it becomes brackish.
Seasonal winds also often create cool water conditions., I would keep them in unheated tanks, where water temps easily fell into the low to mid 60sF.
I also kept them in outside tanks in summer thru fall, which seemed to intensify colors.
Not realizing carpintus and cyanoguttatus are separate species, unwittingly perpetuates hybridizing, producing indiscernible mutts, that for serious cichlids breeders may be problematic.
I have seen many of those confusing unidentifiable mutt ID threads appear here on MFK
Some aquarists are serious enough to keep location variants like Escondido, or Chairel, in separate tanks, to not contaminate the variants.
The carpintus in my photos are location variant "Lago Chairel", near Tampico Mexico, it is quite near the sea, and so close, that the lake is often inundated with significant amounts of sea water, so much so, it becomes brackish.
Seasonal winds also often create cool water conditions., I would keep them in unheated tanks, where water temps easily fell into the low to mid 60sF.
I also kept them in outside tanks in summer thru fall, which seemed to intensify colors.
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I believe the fish that the OP posted is a young male Carpintis. I’m basing that on the head profile. The black blotch on the dorsal fin is usually an indicator of a female BUT many Carpintis will display black on their body and dorsal when they are angry or stressed. Females can, and do get pearling across their faces. Males have the same pearling, some times a bit more intense with quantity and coverage of the body with pearls. I currently have a 5 inch male that looks nearly identical to the one you are getting from your friend.
