Red Head Cichlid (Paraneetroplus synspilus)

[duanes]

When you stop to consider that all the Vieja are very close cousins and probably all evolved from a single ancestral group, its not that surprising.
When that basal ancestral group became separated by changing geography (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, separating water systems and rivers etc) creating slightly different environments over millennia, differing traits were bound to emerge.
Maybe the overbite that hartwegii sports made it better suited to feed in its environment , and color which coincided with plants or other topography made the bifasciatum extra blotch more of a successful piece of camouflage.

 

[dan518]

In my experience bifasciatus are a bit more aggressive to similar looking cichlids, get around 14 inch full grown. Not mine a 10 year old pair.
Vieja bifasciata Rio Candelaria:

This is mine

 

[dan518]

In my experience bifasciatus are a bit more aggressive to similar looking cichlids, get around 14 inch full grown. Not mine a 10 year old pair.
Vieja bifasciata Rio Candelaria:

This is mine

 

[dan518]

Sorry double post

 

[cichlidsickness]

I guess thats my main question now, cause Im always up for learning about cichlids

What is the differences between the melanura and bifasciata?

 

[cichlidsickness]

I can definitely tell they are very closely related because Im having a hard time identifying the differences between them.

Oh wow those are some nice fish you have there dan! I believe Ive stumbled across your youtube video before on one of my cichlid watching sprees!

 

[dan518]

I can definitely tell they are very closely related because Im having a hard time identifying the differences between them.

Oh wow those are some nice fish you have there dan! I believe Ive stumbled across your youtube video before on one of my cichlid watching sprees!

Thanks,
A few pics of melanura / synspilum and bifasciatus, agree with duanes there both very closely related as are all the Paratheraps, vieja sp
The first three are melanura the next are bifasciatus

 

[duanes]

When you stop to consider that all the Vieja are very close cousins and probably all evolved from a single ancestral group, its not that surprising.
When that basal ancestral group became separated by changing geography (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, separating water systems and rivers etc) creating slightly different environments over millennia, differing traits were bound to emerge.
Maybe the overbite that hartwegii sports made it better suited to feed in its environment , and color which coincided with plants or other topography made the bifasciatum extra blotch more of a successful piece of camouflage.

 

[cichlidsickness]

Yea they look very similar. Looks like the blotch is about the only difference?

Do you guys think I have a male or female?

 

[cichlidsickness]

Blotch and lateral line I mean....

How about the face freckling? Is that a trait shared by both the melanura/synspilum and bifasciatus, or is the trait specific to the bifasciatus?

 

[wild bill]

Seeing as you said you took out the largest ones I would say female. As the males usually grow larger quicker than the females will.