Surprise Visit By The Stork
- Thread starter Oddball
- Start date
For the Cichlidophiles among us, another member suggested an ID for these unknown breeders. It looks like they're Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron..
BTW, the fry have already reached the 1/2" mark and there have been no fry losses (knock on wood).
BTW, the fry have already reached the 1/2" mark and there have been no fry losses (knock on wood).
Oddball;871473; said:
Really? It may be my screen but I don't see black on the face of either fish in the photos. Some species can get quite dark in the gular area, such as T. snyderae, while spawning/brooding.
When young S. melanotheron can have quite a bit of yellow on the sides and are quite slender but they seem to grow taller and more stocky as they age. At larger sizes they really shouldn't show any dorsal spot, or at least not as prominent as yours show.
I guess you would have a difinitve for or against argument if we had some input on the fish's spawning habits. S. melanotheron is a polygamous mouthbrooding species. Tilapia (such as louka, rendalli or tholloni) are pairing substrate spawners who take part in parental care.
Maybe you can post the pics up on the forums at www.cichlidae.com to get some input.
The black throat may not rule out any other species since they don't seem to have black anywhere else on the mouth/face, whereas S. melanotheron usually do.
Some species of Tilapia (Tilapia sp. are not mouthbrooders while Oreochromis and Sarotherodon are) can develop a dark gular area while spawning/brooding.
The black throat may not rule out any other species since they don't seem to have black anywhere else on the mouth/face, whereas S. melanotheron usually do.
Some species of Tilapia (Tilapia sp. are not mouthbrooders while Oreochromis and Sarotherodon are) can develop a dark gular area while spawning/brooding.
