List your top 10 pretties Cichlids

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Cichlidfever

Piranha
MFK Member
Aug 15, 2005
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Bowie, MD.
My top 10:

Ornatum
Festae (Female)
Umbee (Male)
Escondido (Male)
Vieja Melanura (Male)
Green Terror (Male)
Red Jewel (Male)
Salvini
Nicaraguense (Festae)
Gramodes (Male)
 
Its pretty subjective
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Above Rheoheros lentiginosum, below Wajpanheros nourisatti
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Contrast left Herichthys bartoni, right a femal Nandopsus haitiensus
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Amatitlania nanoluteus left, rightb Gymnogeophagus
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Sometimes its not about pretty , but other subtle intangable factors, Darienhero above, Isthmoheros below
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Of course there are also so many others, that show off most only when spawning.
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I have always loved the fish on your list and I think CA/SA cichlids have a lot to offer in terms of color, brightness, and beauty, but I wouldn't sleep on some of the dwarf cichlids either like Rams and Apistogramma. I would even venture out and say if you are okay considering aquarium bred varieties some variants like Electric Blue Jack Dempseys and selectively bred Discus are gorgeous too.

As far as large, brutish, and beautiful CA/SA cichlids in the more traditional sense in the context of this sub my favorite would probably be a Managuense. Something about the way they look, their markings, their attitude, and their body shape and structure gives them a brutish and beautiful look, and that could apply to all of Parachromis really.
 
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Michigan Buckeye, I agree with you, there are so many CA/SA cichlids, I knew naming 10, I would leaving some out that I should have mentioned, I have so many favorites, I just wanted to see others opinions, what they would pick as pretty cichlids...
 
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South American
Lugubria Zebrina
Lugubria Tapajos
Mesoheros Festae
Kronoheros Umbriferus
Andinoacara Rivulatus Goldsaum
Heros Severus Rio Curare
Apistogramma Macmasteri
Apistogramma Hongsloi
Symphysodon Heckel
Caquetaia Myersi


Central American
Trichromis Salvini Rio Candelaria
Vieja Bifasciatus Rio Chacamax
Chuco Micropthalmus
Thoricthys Aureus Blue
Nandopsis Istlanun
Darienheros Calobrensis
Cryptoheros Nanoluteus
Amphilophus Lyonsi
Criboheros Altifrons
Parachromis Dovii
 
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If I had to choose between the brightest, most objective obnoxiously colored ones that are pretty much always that color as long as they're happy, I'd have to go with (in no particular order)
Thorichthys maculipinnis
Rubricatochromis exsul
Aulonocara stuartgranti
Trichromis salvini
Enantiopus melanogenys
Fossochromis rostratus
Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus
Mesoheros festae
Amatitlania nigrofasciata Rio los almendros, captive strain
Herichthys carpintis, captive strain
Parachromis multifasciatus
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I won't get into a lot of my more subjective honorable mentions just yet... there's too many, but they're all pretty conditional (certain time of year, breeding coloration, etc). You could argue that that applies to some of these as well, but I think generally people will still be impressed by them if they saw them in your house. Some that come to mind however:

Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus
Cichlasoma dimerus
Pundamilia nyererei
Amatitlania myrnae
Amatitlania altoflava
Amatitlania siquia "Guanacaste province"
Amatitlania septemfasciata "Rio San Juan"
Nandopsis haitiensis
Kronoheros cf. umbriferum "Rio atrato"
Cribroheros rostratus
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I ran out of file uploads for this message but Cribroheros robertsoni, Cribroheros altifrons, Apistogramma agassizii alenquer, Pelvicachromis kribensis proper, and of course alenquer red discus are also up there.
 
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