I.D for CA TX Cichlid

[xEchOx]

looks hybrid. Pics 2 days from now...just to be sure.

I see nothing hybrid about this fish.

Straight up Cyano. The odd color is most likely due to the extremely light substrate.

 

[thefishguy7]

You definitely have a Cyano. The main key in identifying the difference in the 2 species seems to be the "worming" of the blue or green scales around the mouth and between the eyes. Here is my 13" Cyano Texas and his girlfriend. He has a few battle scars but I think you can still see there is no pearling in between the eyes in the last picture.

Your fish, are both hybrids. Your way of identifying does not make sense, can you please clarify?

I see nothing hybrid about this fish.

Straight up Cyano. The odd color is most likely due to the extremely light substrate.

I see what looks to be a pearl line, an abnormally light base color, and even some odd characteristics in its shape. Might be stressed, that is why I asked for additional pictures in a few days. Such a dramatic color difference cannot be based on substrate alone.

 

[pmtuneman13]

Your fish, are both hybrids. Your way of identifying does not make sense, can you please clarify?

I have raised hundreds of cyanos. I know what they look like. My huge male may be a cross, but its not a carpintis cross. The truth is, Texas cichlids vary in their body structure and base colors from what I have seen. I think it is very hard to find a Texas near me that is similar to what a true F1 or wild caught looks like. I'm not real sure what needs clarification. Do you not know what "worming" means? What about pearl size and shape? What about fin coloration?

 

[oscarsftw]

I went to 2 different pet stores that actually had Texas Cichlids and they both had the same looking Texas Cichlids as mines...One store had a Carpinte and Cyano. I can tell the difference between the two from the spots. They also had this large male that was like a dark blue but with light blue spots???? Do the Cyano's or Carpinte get darker when they are adults?


The Red one looks hybrid...Saw one of those and they called it a "Red Texas Flowerhorn"....

 

[pmtuneman13]

The red one is a fairly plain ZZ flowerhorn. Had her for a long time. Had thousands of babies with her. And now she is pairing up with the big texas you see in the photo.


I think the darkness is determined by mood in a lot of cases. But fish can be the same species and have different base hues in my experience. There will always be a unique fish or 2 in a batch of hundreds.

 

[oscarsftw]

They also had this large male that was like a dark blue but with light blue spots???? Do the Cyano's or Carpinte get darker when they are adults?

Anyone know a answer to this?

 

[oscarsftw]

There back half turns very dark, but there front half stays pretty light when breeding. I'm not sure were you are seeing all this carpinte in your fish. It looks nothing like any carpinte I've seen and almost exactly like every cyano I've seen. Just because your fish doesn't look exactly like a picture of a cyano doesn't mean it's not one. It's also doesn't mean that it's a hybrid. Every fish is slightly different and if you order 1 fish from 10 different breeders you will most likely get 10 fish that have very minor differences. There are plenty of hybrids, but they don't run rampid like everyone seems to claim. The simple fact is if you start with wild fish and breed many generations of them in aquariums you will end up with fish that don't look exactly like a wild cyano. If you want a wild cyano you will have to order it. Otherwise you will have a cyano that looks like yours, which is very standard for what you would see in a pet store.

From someone on Cichlid-forum.com, I think this guy gave the best explanation...Only one guy said it could be a Carpinte and Cyano mix but defiantly not full Carpinte.

 

[tylerperkins]

first pic is my pair seccond is the male durring breeding only thing is he stays that colour

 

[thefishguy7]

I was not insinuating that this fish is a carp/cyano hybrid...I actually see no carpintis in it.
pmtuneman13 your "texas" is a flowerhorn, just look at the fins...yes it is worming that does not make sense.

FYI-Both carpintis and cyanoguttatus can have blue spots, especially when older.

 

[xEchOx]

I see what looks to be a pearl line, an abnormally light base color, and even some odd characteristics in its shape. Might be stressed, that is why I asked for additional pictures in a few days. Such a dramatic color difference cannot be based on substrate alone.

How about stress? A new fish thrown into a new tank with a large tankmate (looks to be an oscar)? I think that warrants some abnormal base coloration. Pearl line? Not sure what that is. Vertical or horizontal? The vertical barring visible in the back half of the fish looks to be stress related IMO.